Fascination
by Lolsome-o-sis girl
Summary: Well, this weekend, i went to my dad's friend's house, and he let me drive his truck, about three metres in a straight line, and that got us talking about Twilight, and what other tv shows and stuff that i liked and BAM! I thought i'd post this story, because, hey, why not? Disclaimer, of course. and for some reason, all these characters can drive. don't blame me, it's fiction. :D
1. Prologue: Welcome to Stoneybridge

_**Fascination**_

_**Wolfblood/Dr Who**_

_**Isabella Pond POV**_

Prologue: Welcome to Stoneybridge 

We arrived in Stoneybridge a lot later than intended. It was due to the fact that Uncle Doctor was doing the map reading. He kept getting us lost down the millions of country roads that seemed to be all the same.

Eventually, though, we did make it to Stoneybridge, the small, welsh village that came with my Dad's new job as a real doctor. Not a cool, weird, alien one like Uncle Doctor, but a proper doctor, all the same.

"Looks like River's beat us to it, Isabella," Mum said, as she climbed out of our family car that was parked in front of the small, two-story, cream coloured cottage that was now ours. My big sister, Melody, was leaning against the doorframe, under the porch. Her bright red convertible was parked by the side of the house, the radio still bleating out her Flo Rida CD.

"Hurry up!" she yelled at us. She winked suggestively at Uncle Doctor, and Dad mimed vomiting.

Technically, Uncle Doctor is not my uncle. He is my brother-in-law, as he married Melody a few years ago. The reason that I called him Uncle Doctor was because he was an old friend of Mum and Dad's. Although I suspected that he lost Dad's friendship when he married my sister. Mum would often roll her eyes when we spoke of them, and said that, every night, she thanked the lord that she had at least one good, well behaved child to speak of. It made me scowl secretly. I despised being known as the 'good child'.

Uncle Doctor and Melody embraced like long lost lovers. They started kissing passionately, as I got out of the car.

"Ugh!" Mum shoved hard at the pair. "Give it a rest, would you? Jesus, River!"

No one ever called my sister by her real name. She had always been River Song to us, as long as I can remember.

"House meeting!" Dad yelled from the boot of the car, and we all shuffled over to where he stood. No one ever took Dad seriously, but, when he called a house meeting, we listened.

"House rules," he began. "Doctor, take that ridiculous fez off your head. I don't want to lose my job, if they think I'm living with a madman."

"I am a madman!" Uncle Doctor protested.

"Anyway," Dad continued. "River, stop that sulky face. You are not a teenager anymore. Both of you, no kissing, and whatever else you do, around the house. No one needs to see it or hear it. I had enough at Leadworth for one lifetime."

There was a general groan of disproval from my sister.

"And...Isabella..." he winked at me. "Come with me. I have a surprise for you." He led me around the side of the house, to where a little garage was. "Your mother and I decided that now was the best time to give you this. I know that you received your driving licence a few weeks ago, yes? Well, tada!"

He flicked the garage light on, and gestured to the large truck parked there. I grinned. It was just like the truck out of _Twilight_. I had always admired one like that, and often begged Dad for a car like that, when I got my licence. It was the exact same faded red colour, with thick tyres, big rounded fenders and a bulbous driving cab. I could feel my mouth twitching, as I grinned widely.

"Wow! I love it! Thanks, Dad!"

"I'm glad you like it. I know that the school lets students drive in, when they are old enough, so this shouldn't cause you any problems tomorrow."

Tomorrow...I winced slightly, at the terrifying thought of school the next day. I didn't know much about Stoneybridge High School, even though my parents had been there, and met with the head teacher, Mr Jeffries. They had chosen not to enlighten me with any information.

It only took me one trip, to move my possessions from the car to my small, front bedroom. Most of my things had already been moved the previous day, by some of Dad's old mates from Leadworth. My bed was already pushed against the wall, my curtains already hung in front of the tiny window, which gave me a view of the gravel driveway. My desk was there too, with a second hand computer, which used to be Melody's. She bequeathed to me when she got a new one. It was for whenever I had free time on my hands. I was certainly going to here.

I unloaded the rest of my things, which took me about five minutes. I didn't own much. I was content like that. Mum had raised me to be very self-sufficient, as I was often alone when I got home from the Leadworth Comprehensive.

I didn't feel like joining the rest of my household for dinner that night. I called down to Mum that I wasn't hungry, and then dashed into the bathroom for a shower. The shower helped a lot, as I stood under the warm water. It helped me relax slightly. Stoneybridge seemed to be lost under a layer of mist. I had an inkling that I wouldn't be seeing the sun for a long time. Compared to this place, Leadworth was like Hawaii.

After my long shower, even the water couldn't warm me up, I wrapped myself in the largest towel I could find and scurried out, carrying my clothes. I hurried into my room and closed the lace curtains, closing the room in darkness.

I went to bed, because I didn't have the heart in me to stay up. There didn't seem to be anything else to do. I dressed in my usual top and bottoms and buried myself in the warm duvet.

As I lay there, I stared up at the peaked ceiling, listening to my family talk and laugh under my room, I wondered what the morning would bring for me. I jumped, as the sound of a wolf howling filled the air, distant but shrill.

I was definatly not in Leadworth anymore...


	2. Chapter 1: First day

Chapter one: First day

I did not sleep well. It started raining at eight o'clock, getting louder as the seconds passed. I huddled under my duvet, trying to block out the abominable noise. Eventually, I fell asleep, into a foggy sleep, surrounded by hazy images of things that I could not understand. It was an unpleasant shock at seven-thirty, when my alarm clock sent me tumbling out of bed, my dark red hair tumbling over my face. My head felt too big for my small frame, as I dressed, bleary eyed, in the Stoneybridge High School uniform that my Mum had set out for me.

Breakfast was a quiet event that morning. Mum was flicking through the TV guide, sipping her black coffee. Uncle Doctor had a glass of milk, drooping over it, as if he had a hangover. Melody did not even appear. I wondered why. Dad had already left, but he had left his best wishes to me for my first day at the new school, and he had pulled my truck out of the garage for me. I hurriedly ate my toast and cornflakes, before running back upstairs. It was unnerving. I had too much energy, being in the house, and nowhere to store it. I didn't have to be in school for a while, but I couldn't hang around any longer. I brushed my hair, trying to make myself smart, and grabbed my rucksack, heading out of the caging home.

I plodded my way across the crunchy gravel, to where my truck was parked. I shivered against the cold wind, wrapping my parka coat tighter around my torso. The sky looked dull and overcast that morning, which reflected my mood. I climbed into the driving seat and sighed in relief at the warm temperature of the truck. I slammed the door, and turned the key in the ignition. The engine roared, and then hummed a low hum. I felt like I was truly in _Twilight_. I was half expecting Edward Cullen and Jacob Black to come sauntering out from behind a tree somewhere. I pulled away from the house, managing to work the rusty old heater.

Finding the school wasn't that difficult, despite the fact that it looked nothing like a school. Only the fact that students wearing the same uniform as me were swarming the small car park gave that fact away. I swerved violently into the first space I saw, next to a small, red Volkswagen. A tall boy, with russet skin and short black hair got out, as I swung my door open, nearly hitting him.

The boy's eyes glossed over my truck and then me.

"Nice car," he raised his eyebrow slightly, as he spoke.

"Thank you," I mumbled. His eyes suddenly widened.

"Hey, aren't you the new girl? Isabella Pond?"

"Bella," I corrected him, giving him a tentative smile.

"I'm Tom," he held out his hand for me to shake. "Do you need any directions?"

I guessed I probably did look directionless, so I grasped at the offer of help.

"Yes, please. Could you show me to the main office?" I asked politely.

"Sure!" he smiled again and led me into the building. I stared around me, as we walked, at the peeling paint, the smell of vanilla and coffee in the air. Tom had plenty of things to tell me, and I listened as best I could, nodding when appropriate.

We reached a small foyer. It was smarter than the rest of the school, with brightly coloured walls and plush chairs scattered around. A small glass counter was directly ahead of me. I thanked Tom, who nodded, and went to the counter, tapping on it. A tall man, with dark hair, slid the glass open.

"Can I help you?"

"I'm Isabella Pond," I said. "And I need to pick up my timetable."

"Yes, Isabella," he smiled warmly at me. "I believe that you are in my form group. I'm Mr Jeffries." He shook my hand, and handed me and gridded sheet of A4, with my timetable on.

"I see Tom's taking care of you," he noted, waving to Tom, who watched our exchange. "You're in good hands. See you later."

I thanked him, turning away, going back to Tom, who smiled.

"You're with Jeffries? So am I!"

I smiled. At least I would have a friendly face to turn to.

After a close examination of my timetable, it turned out that we had almost all the same lessons together. It comforted me to an extent. Tom led me to Mr Jeffries' room, and waited with me outside. He asked me a few questions, to pass the time.

"So, you're from Leadworth, right?"

"Uh-hu,"

"Is it as dull there as it is here?"

"No. Well, it is pretty bland, I suppose. But, I liked it there. They had a good school, and it was fun. Because my mother went there, all the teachers were kind of scared of me!"

We chuckled together at that. It made my chest ache slightly, the throb of homesickness.

Eventually, Mr Jeffries arrived, and let us in. I seated myself on the empty desk next to Tom's, whilst he continued a running commentary of how someone called Kay had been to Leadworth before, and what they thought of it.

The room started to fill up, as he continued. He had to stop, as a red-headed girl sat next to him, thankfully interrupting him, mid flow. I had started to lose focus, and the day had barely started.

The girl looked surprised at the new addition (me), and nodded to me.

"Hi," she said.

"Hello," I replied.

"What's your name?"

"Isabella Pond," Tom answered for me. It faintly annoyed me that he called me Isabella. Only people at home called me that.

"It's Bella," I told the girl. Everyone within a three mile radius seemed to look at us.

"I'm Shannon Kelly," she gave me a small smile. "I hope you enjoy it here, Bella."

"Thanks," I grinned back. Maybe this day wouldn't be so bad. People seemed nice enough.

"Oh, of course," Mr Jeffries overheard our conversation, and made me stand up where everyone could see me. I blushed. "Everyone, this is Isabella –Bella- Pond. I want you all to make her welcome here."

I didn't dare look up at the sea of faces as I sank back down in my chair. As I did, the door flew open, and two more people came in. I heard Mr Jeffries sigh, as I stared at the graphitised table.

"Rhydian Morris, Maddy Smith," he said. "Bringing up the rear as usual, I see?"

I glanced up at the pair of them. Rhydian muttered something inaudible. The girl, Maddy, smirked slightly, as they sat at a table on the other side of Tom and Shannon. My eyes followed them as they did so. I was about to look away, when the boy named Rhydian glanced up at me, as if suddenly realising there was someone else there. He didn't gawp or stare at me, the way the rest of the form were doing. He just acknowledged my insistence. On my part, it was a relief.

The rest of that day passed smoothly. Tom chattered to me all through lessons, Shannon often pitching in odd details. Maddy and Rhydian didn't pay much attention to me. In fact, they didn't seem to pay much attention to anyone, except each other.

"Who are they?" I asked Tom in History that afternoon, pretending I didn't know. He followed my gaze and rolled his eyes.

"Maddy and Rhydian. They're distant cousins or something. They pretend that they're not dating, but they are. Anyone can see that," there was a bitter resentment in his voice, which he tried to hide. I pretended that I hadn't noticed it.

"So, why don't they speak to others?"

"They do. Sometimes. They never seem to leave each other," he shook his head, muttering something under his breath, about how unfair it all was. I tried to get the smirk off of my face, before he saw it. As I did, suddenly, both Maddy and Rhydian looked up at me again. It took me by surprise. Maddy, then, gave me a tiny smile, before turning back to Rhydian and their earlier conversation about whatever it was. My answering smile was slightly late, but I hoped that she saw it.

I drifted out of class at the end of the day, walking towards my truck. I felt oddly worn out, after just one day. Maybe it was the pretence of not minding when everyone called me Isabella. All day. As I climbed in, and started to drive away, I noticed Maddy and Rhydian out of the corner of my eye. Tom's words came back to me, and followed me all the way home...


	3. Chapter 2: An open book

Chapter two: An open book 

"MUM! Get out of the bathroom, you dildo!"

Those were the words that greeted me, when I stumbled into our kitchen. Melody stood at the bottom of the stairs, screeching up at the bathroom door.

"River? What's a dildo?" I asked in confusion.

"It's a very stupid person," Melody said, like I was stupid myself. "Get it, dildo?"

"Sure, whatever," I went past her, as she screamed up the stairs again.

It was a relief to block out the noise, as I shut my bedroom door and lay on my bed, staring up at the white ceiling. My mind wouldn't leave the school and return to home. If I could call Stoneybridge 'home' yet, anyway.

The peace only lasted a few moments though. My door was soon flung open. Mum entered, her hair hanging in rats tails, a towel around her.

"Isabella, you're home early," she noted.

"Yeah...wanted to make a quick start on homework," I lied. Anything to get her to leave me alone, to think.

"Oh!" she seemed surprised, and then nodded eagerly. "Good. I'm glad to see you're finally committed. I'll leave you to get on with it, and then you can tell me all about it."

I nodded, and, satisfied, she left me in peace. I had been set homework, but I didn't feel like doing it at that second. I flipped my maths book open and doodled in numbers that didn't make sense, before going to the tiny window that faced the driveway. I watched the layer of mist cling to the cold glass, my warm breath clouding up my view.

I didn't really feel like pouring my heart out to my mother, as we ate our soup that evening. She tried to prod answers out of me.

"Did you like the school?"

"Yes,"

"What are the kids like?"

"Fine,"

"Are there any particular 'fine' ones?" a look of concern flittered across her face. "Are they being nice to you?"

"Yeah. They're all welcoming,"

"You can tell me, sweetheart," Mum squeezed my hand. I nodded.

"Doesn't even matter, Mum," I said. I didn't want to worry her more than she was already.

"Yes, it does, Isabella. How could you ever think otherwise?"

"Suppose," my voice gave away my uncertainty, and I tried to switch to a harmless subject. "So, where's River going in such a hurry?"

"On a date. With The Doctor," Mum rolled her eyes. "I would love to see him manage that!"

She started on the washing up, still chuckling to herself. I left her to it, saying I was going to do the rest of my homework. Instead, I pulled out my CD collection and picked a random one. I slotted it into my player, and put my headphones on. The words circled around my head, making my brain suddenly come back. I smiled. I felt oddly whole again. Once I got past the mass of guitar sound effects, the singer wasn't that bad. I had to remember to thank Melody for this latest knock-off when she got home...

I felt slightly better, as I drove to school the next day. I knew what to expect today, and was starting to know where everything was. As I pulled in, I noticed Tom, a few spaces down from me. The rumble of the truck engine, that could only be mine, alerted him of my arrival. He and Shannon waved, as I climbed out, rucksack swinging on my shoulder.

"Bella!" Shannon beckoned to me, and I came over.

"Hey," I greeted them, looking at the poster in Tom's hand. "What's this all about?"

"Biology trip, coming up," she replied. "To an eco centre, about a mile away from here. Are you going to go?"

"Sure," I shrugged. "Eco. Plants. Fun."

"See?" Shannon turned to Tom. "I told you! People like this stuff."

"Yeah, right," Tom raised his eyebrow, turning to me. "Hey, Bella, a group of us are going to the beach soon. It's supposed to be nice on Sunday. You want to come?"

"Really? There's a beach around here?" My eyebrows pulled together in mystification. Stoneybridge was the last place I would ever expect to see a beach.

"Sure. It's about an hour away, but if we take Jimi's van, we should all be able to fit,"

"Okay. Sounds fun. I'll ask Mum when I get home," I promised, although I knew that she would be relieved that I actually had _friends_, after our conversation last night.

The rest of the day seemed to run smoothly, up until the afternoon. I was alone in both my classes, and I stumbled into Biology, unsure of what to do next. I knew lots of the faces that were seating themselves in the room. The only one that I could name was Rhydian Morris, with his hair tone and strange frowny scowl that seemed forever on his face. I glanced around the room, but there was only one seat left, and I hurried to it, seating myself next to Rhydian. He didn't look too pleased, but a teacher who I didn't know came in, and there wasn't much anyone could do about it.

Rhydian said no words to me when we started work. He watched me oddly, like I was going to jump up and bite him or something. Eventually, before the end of class, I was so agitated by his stare that I turned to him.

"I'm not going to kill you, you know," I snapped. He looked surprised, and then raised an eyebrow.

"I know,"

"Then, why the hell are you looking at me like that?" I demanded.

"Don't know,"

"Great," I muttered.

He frowned slightly.

"You're Bella, aren't you?" I was pleased that someone had gotten it right.

"Yes, I'm Bella. You're Rhydian,"

"How did you know that?"

"You're very popular with Tom, it seems," I told him. The corners of his mouth twitched into a smile. "He talks about you and Maddy ALL the time."

I was slightly exaggerating, but, regarding the length of time that his words followed me, it seemed like he talked about them forever.

Rhydian laughed, as I doodled over my sheet of paper.

"Where are you from?" he asked.

"Leadworth," I replied. "And you?"

"Don't know, really,"

"Oh," my interest increased, in spite of myself. "Why?"

"I'm in foster care,"

"Oh. Sorry," I bit my lip, guilty.

"It's okay," he shrugged like he didn't care. I couldn't believe he was so cool about it. I knew that I would never be.

The bell suddenly rang, sending everyone into a raging noise.

"See you later," I told Rhydian, as I packed up and left the room. He seemed nice enough. Strange, but nice enough.

I groaned, as I remembered what I had next. P.E. that was another thing I had in common with Bella Swan of _Twilight_. My sporting skills were virtually nonexistent.

Luckily, I was allowed to sit out for my first lesson, just to watch. I was glad, because I was distracted, and I could not be distracted whilst paying sport. I gained enough injuries as it was.

I scuttled out, as soon as the bell went, rushing ahead of everyone, not stopping until I was safe in my truck. It was like my safe haven, as I leant back against the seat. I noticed the car next to me for the first time. Rhydian occupied it, Maddy getting in as well. They both saw me staring. Rhydian waved slightly. Maddy smiled. I blushed and hurried backed out of my space, before driving away, as fast as was legal. I frowned, as I stared at the bleak grey road. For whatever reason, something didn't quite add up about those two. I tried to ignore it, but it stayed. The mystery that surrounded them was tempting to solve. Maybe too tempting. I pushed the thought from my mind.

_Stop it_, I told myself. _Just stop it_.


	4. Chapter 3: Horror story

Chapter three: Horror Story

I was eager for the week to be over, and for Sunday to arrive. The day of the beach trip. Mum had almost jumped for joy when I told her that I was going out with some friends. It made me slightly nervous.

I was picked up around midday, by Tom, Shannon and the person in my form, who I assumed was Jimi. They all talked the entire journey. I tuned out, as we picked up more and more people. I was surprised, and slightly suspicious, to see that Rhydian and Maddy were not among us when we got to the beach.

"Where are Rhydian and Maddy?" I asked Tom, as we got out of the van and walked down the steep path, onto the pale stretch of sand.

"Rhydian's foster parents are ill, so he's taking care of them. And Maddy was planning something with her family," Tom shrugged. "Not the first time they've turned us down. Won't be the last time either."

I gazed off at the pale horizon. Tom could believe what he wanted, but the suspicion was nagging at me again. And it was annoying.

We sat on logs scattered around the beach, eating marshmallows, gossiping about school. I was a million years away, thinking about puzzle pieces not adding up, and people that didn't make sense.

"Hey, Bella," Shannon touched my shoulder. "Do you like horror stories?"

"Yeah," I lied, just to please her. "Why? Do you know any good ones?"

"Sort of," She gestured up the sand. "Do you want to go for a walk?"

"Okay," I got up and we strolled away from the rest of the party. "So, what's the story?"

"Okay. Well, Stoneybridge moors is supposedly haunted by a beast. Of some kind. Nobody knows exactly what. Except for me."

I didn't like where this was going. "So...what happened?"

"I went camping, near the moors, in the woods, with the brownies, when I was younger. At night, I heard a noise outside of our tent, and a shadow, the size of a horse, fell across us. I went outside, thinking it was a joke. And there it was." Shannon's eyes were miles away. "It was huge. Like a cross of a wolf and a bear. I screamed, but it ran away. I've never been able to prove it since."

She turned to look at me. "Hey, are you okay?"

I glanced down at my arm. Thousands of tiny goose bumps had appeared on my arm. I rubbed them, trying to make them vanish with friction.

"You're a really good story teller," I told her honestly.

"Thank you," she smiled. I paused.

"Do you think that there's anything strange about Maddy and Rhydian?" she looked surprised.

"No, not really," she rolled her eyes. "Did Tom get to you? He tends to do that over 'Maddian'!"

"What?"

"'Maddian' – it's our name for them. Maddy. Rhydian. Maddian,"

"Oh." I subsided into silence, as we went to join our beach party again.

I sat in silence the whole time, even when I was dropped back home. I mumbled my goodbyes, before hurrying into the kitchen, throwing my coat over the back of a chair. I glanced at the ornamental clock on the wall. Five-thirty. Mum wouldn't be back for ages yet. My hand twitched over my truck keys. The house suddenly seemed too small, too cramped to house me. I grabbed my keys, slammed the front door and got into my truck. The familiar roar of the engine settled me, as I drove down the country road, not exactly sure where I was going.

I stopped when I reached the rusty gate that lead into the woods. I parked alongside the road and went to the old iron structure. Before I knew it, I sung myself up and over, landing with a gentle thud on the soft grass behind the gate. I picked myself up, and then started to walk into the densely packed thicket. The soft _thud_ of my feet against the forest floor comforted me, and helped me think. Although, I wasn't sure what I was supposed to think or not think about. Maybe it was just my brain going crazy...

I wasn't really sure.

Time passed oddly for me, as I walked. The hours passed like minutes, as I stumbled along. It was only when I glanced up at the inky black sky, the glistening full moon shining down through the filter of trees, that I decided that I probably should start to go. Then, I glanced around me. The blackened trees, the uneven ground...it all looked the same. I started to panic then, my breathing becoming quicker. I started on again, back the way that I had come, but I blundered helplessly now, dazed. I pushed aside some hedge-like bushes, and stumbled out onto the moors.

I straightened up, cautious, a few moments later, as the snapping of twigs caught my attention. Was there something out here? Waiting for me?

The snapping got closer. I could make out footsteps, soft, padding sounds. It got closer and closer, until the bushes ahead of me parted.

I almost screamed.

It was a wolf. A huge, tawny brown wolf, with large yellow eyes. It was padding softly towards me, judging me with its unbreakable gaze. I froze, like a rabbit caught in headlights, utterly paralysed in fear. The wolf made a few snuffling noises, as it sought me out, and I turned. To my utter horror, there was a second wolf, now coming into my line of sight. This, also, eyed me. But, there was something familiar about it. Its eyes followed mine, as if it was recognising me...

_For god's sake, stop it. You're about to be eaten by a wolf!_

Great. This wolf wanted a friend to help it eat me? Like it didn't want to do any dirty work?

As soon as that thought entered me, the feeling returned to my legs, which I now realised were shaking. I turned and ran, not entirely sure where the hell I was going, but not caring. I tripped, I stumbled, I fell, but I scrambled up every time and kept going.

Eventually, to my amazement, I flew into the gate, which I had climbed over. The familiar, comforting shape of my Chevrolet truck was parked against the black ribbon of road. I scrabbled with my door, hurriedly getting into the cab, and starting the engine. I roared away, gripping the steering wheel, to stop my trembling hands. I realised that I was sobbing pitifully as I drove, thick tears of relief washing down my cheeks. I knew how lucky I was to have lived through that.

I pulled up outside the house, gasping, as I saw the huddle of cars outside. I saw the police car parked right at the front, lights blinding me. Mum appeared in the porch, obviously hearing the unmistakable sound of my truck, and ran over, crying too.

I got out, and she enveloped me in a hug.

"Don't you ever do that again, Isabella!"

"I'm sorry," I mumbled, against her shoulder.

"You're safe now, honey," Mum took my hand, and led me indoors. Melody was skulking by the stairs, eyes wide. Uncle Doctor patted me on the back when he saw me. Dad looked furious, and Mum saw that.

"Rory..." she said, but it was useless.

"Where the HELL have you been, Isabella?" he demanded. "Don't you know better than to run off like that?"

"I'm sorry," I said again. "I lost track of time."

"What the hell were you doing?"

"I went for a walk, up on the moors," Dad's eyes widened.

"The _moors_?" he shrieked, so loudly that I cringed. " Isabella Jane Pond, what the heck were you doing up on the moors? Don't you know that there's been a lot of dangerous animal activity up there recently?"

I thought of the wolves, and shuddered. Yes, I did know.

"Rory," Uncle Doctor cut in. "Look at the poor girl. She's exhausted. Let her sleep in for now. Look, it's almost midnight."

Dad sighed, but quietened. I scurried past them all to my room, hurling myself on the bed, falling asleep almost at once. But my dreams were haunted by mysteries, strange people that made no sense, and the eyes of the wolves, watching me, as I tossed and turned.

Mum made me stay at home the next day. I didn't object.


	5. Chapter 4: Impossible answers

Chapter four: Impossible answers

I was desperate to get to school the day after. Being in Melody's company all day had dampened my mood, so I had struggled out of bed and put my uniform on.

Dad was still in a dreadful mood, over me being out all night, but his anger seemed to have died down. He even spoke to me, wishing me a good day, and a fun trip. I was glad to be going on the Biology trip. It meant that I could miss P.E, and there was no greater torture than that.

I was anticipating my arrival at school. I realised it was because I wanted to see Rhydian and Maddy. The mystery that surrounded them burned in my chest like heart ache. Jeez. Maybe I was turning into some kind of stalker. No one else seemed as mystified by them as I was. How sad.

I parked the truck quickly, hurrying to Biology, sitting in my seat. Rhydian came in early, which surprised me. He was usually, as Mr Jefferies had put it, bringing up the rear. As usual, Rhydian avoided my eye contact.

"Hello, Rhydian," I said, smiling pleasantly. He nodded. "Do anything fun over the weekend?"

"Not really,"

"Oh. Why were you not on the beach trip on Sunday?"

"Busy," he replied dismissively. "With Maddy."

"Oh. Have fun with her? What did you do?" I didn't like to pry, but the mystery was too tempting, even for me. I had to solve it, it was desperate to be solved. I couldn't ignore it anymore. It had to all add up.

"Watched a film. Talked. Y'know, stuff,"

"Cool," I tailed away slightly. "Did you know that there are wolves up near the moors?"

He stiffened at my words, surprising me, turning his head away.

"Really?" he mumbled.

"Yeah, I saw them. One's grey and one's brown," I replied, scanning his odd expression. He shifted away from me. Could this have something to do with the mystery?

My gut instinct told me yes.

We didn't speak to each other after that, as we went outside and got onto one of the two mini buses that were taking ours and next door's class to the Eco Centre. At the last moment, as I sat in the strange blue seat, Maddy jumped onto our bus, and sat down by Rhydian, who I had made sure was in front of me. Only then, as she smiled at him, did he- and I- relax. He smiled back and Tom's words echoed in my head.

'_They're distant cousins or something. They pretend that they're not dating, but they are. Anyone can see that'_

I shivered, annoyed that the words wouldn't leave me, and slumped further down in my seat, so no one, including myself, would catch on to the fact that I was spying on the people in front of me. I was glad that Rhydian was so tall. No one could see me skulking behind him and Maddy.

They whispered the entire journey, so quiet that I couldn't even catch the words. They laced their fingers together, as we screeched to a stop. I sighed. Damn. Why couldn't I have been born with sensitive hearing?!

I avoided eye contact, as we all trekked into the Eco Centre. No one paid much attention, including me. Usually, I was fascinated with things like this. I loved nature. But, I was too preoccupied to notice the flowers and trees around me.

I saw it about half an hour after we had arrived. Rhydian kept staring at me out of the corner of his eye, then dropping it when he thought I could see him, and then looking back when he thought I couldn't. It felt like the first Biology class all over again. I had to force myself to stop kicking the displays in frustration. Suddenly, there was a tap on my shoulder. Shannon stood behind me, eyes wide.

"Isn't this exciting?" she asked me gleefully.

"Yep. Loving it," I replied, dully.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just...daydreaming," I sighed, running a hand through my long hair, which was hanging over my eyes again, as usual. "Shannon...what would you do, if you thought there was something really different about a person, and you wanted to find it out?"

Shannon looked bemused at my query.

"Whatever makes you say that?"

"Nothing. Just me being silly, I guess,"

"Is this about Maddy and Rhydian?" she asked, surprising me with her accuracy.

"They just don't seem very sociable...I wondered if there was something wrong, that's all,"

"Trust me. Leave them be, and they'll be fine," I almost groaned at the sound of her care-free attitude. Hadn't I already tried to leave them be? It did me no good.

"Okay," I said to Shannon. "Just me worrying."

"In time, you'll get used to those strange two," she rolled her eyes, as I saw another one of Rhydian's glances, as he disappeared into another section with Maddy. I twitched, aching to follow.

"Excuse me," I said to Shannon, and raced after them, nearly crashing into Maddy. They hadn't gone that far, and I had geared myself up for a sprint.

"Oh!" I shrieked, as I caught myself on one of the cabinets, scraping my arm. I tumbled over, naturally. Maddy helped me up, grinning.

"You're eager, aren't you, Bella?" she chuckled.

"How do you know my name?" I said, stupidly.

"I think everyone knows your name, Bella," Rhydian said, watching my face again. I glowered at him, angrily.

"Will you stop doing that?" I snapped.

"What?"

"Staring at me, whenever you fancy!"

"I'm not,"

"Yes, you are! You're doing it now! Have you got some kind of problem with me?" I demanded, furious. "Can't you leave me alone?"

"Fine," Rhydian scowled.

"Fine," I snapped back, storming off back to Tom and Shannon.

"What happened there?" Tom asked, noticing my face, and the look Maddy was probably giving.

"I don't want to talk about it," I growled.

The rest of the day, I was in a foul mood. I was so happy to get back to school, and get into the safety of my truck. I gripped the wheel, about to reverse, when I heard something. It sounded like a scream. I leaned out of the window, gasping at what I saw.

"BELLA!" Tom and Shannon were screaming at me. "GET OUT OF THE CAR!"

I stared, fixed, on the large white Tesco van, which was sailing gracefully towards my truck. The car would hit me, and send my truck flying. With me still inside.

"Bella!" Shannon yelled. "Run!"

How could I run? I would get crushed in the attempt. I glanced around me, almost as if everything was in slow motion.

Rhydian and Maddy stood four cars down from me, both of them with a horrified expression on their faces. Tom and Shannon were as close to me, as they could get, without getting crushed. Great. Now I would never find out about 'Maddian'. I growled to myself. It was depressing, and slightly stalker-like, that I would think of them in my moment of impending doom. Then...

My truck was suddenly raised about three feet off of the floor, being pushed towards the grassy banks that surrounded the car park. The Tesco van squealed to a stop beside me, barely touching the passenger door. I froze, as someone stood up.

"Bella?" Rhydian peered at me through the glass. "You okay?"

"Uh-hu," I said weakly, clutching the steering wheel.

What the hell had just happened to me?


	6. Chapter 5: Hospitalised

Chapter five: Hospitalised 

It took three teachers to drag me and my truck from the wreckage. The rest of the school stood around us, in solemn silence, as Rhydian helped me out. I blushed as he did so, while he flatly refused the medical check over they were about to give him. I tried to do the same, but, apparently, the same rules didn't apply to me.

I was bundled into the back seat of Mr Jeffries' car, whilst Rhydian sat in front of me. I cursed behind him, furious. I muttered them under breath, all of them including the words _**"Lucky bastard with the sensitive hearing"**_. He seemed to hear most of them, because, when I looked up, he was struggling not to laugh.

When we got to the small hospital, Rhydian breezed through the door of his own accord. I, on the other hand, was carried in, by Mr Jeffries and an ambulance driver. I bit my lip to stop swearing, and to squash the urge to punch Mr Jeffries quite hard.

It was worse when they took me into A+E. Unfortunately, it was Dad's day on the ward, and he didn't react that well, when he saw me being placed on a hospital bed.

"Isabella!" he yelped, charging up the ward, while I blushed. "What happened?"

"Nothing, Dad. Relax. I'm fine," I lied. He immediately turned to Mr Jeffries for an honest opinion. I gritted my teeth. Rhydian lounged on the bed to the left of me, hands behind his head, feet up, grinning like a clown at my embarrassment. He caught my eye and I glowered frostily. This, of course, made him chuckle, making me more infuriated than before. I huffed, turning to face the bed on my other side. I was surprised to notice that I knew that person too.

"Isabella?" the tall, pale girl, who was lying on the bed, frowned at me.

"Yes?" I replied, not wanting to let her know that I couldn't remember her name. She seemed to catch on, and rolled her eyes slightly.

"I'm Marrianne," she reminded me. "From Geography class?"

Of course. Marrianne. How could anyone forget? She sat at the back of my Geography class room, with her two friends, one skinny, one podgy, both shorter than she was. They all had a habit of drawing cats on the back wall, and enjoyed it immensely.

"Oh, yeah. Hi, Marrianne," I gave her a quick wave. She nodded, curling her long hair behind her ear and pushing her glasses off the brink of her nose.

"What're you doing here?" I asked. She raised her right arm, showing off a large blue cast. She'd already drawn a cat on it, I noticed. "Ouch."

"You're telling me. Me and Lee were having a wrestling match," she rolled her eyes again. "I'm ashamed to say that he won, only when I tripped over Jake. And, why are you here?"

"I..." I tailed off. Rhydian's eyes bored into my back.

"I don't really know," I finished lamely. Rhydian laughed out loud. I gave him the finger, not caring that it was impolite. My emotions were all over the place today.

What was it with him and Maddy?!

The door suddenly crashed open, and my Mum came running in, followed by a couple I had never seen before.

"Isabella!" Mum rushed to my bedside. "My poor baby! Are you okay?"

The couple behind her smiled at me. Curiosity stopped me from answering my mother.

"Who are you?" I asked.

"Oh, of course. Isabella, this is Daniel and Emma Smith. They have a daughter about your age,"

"Maddy," I said without thinking. Emma looked surprised.

"You know her?"

"She's in my form, with Rhydian," I gestured to Rhydian himself, who waved cheerfully.

"Rhydian..." Daniel sighed, shaking his head. "What have you gone and done THIS time?"

"Nothing. Tell you later,"

Daniel nodded and turned back to me.

"How are you, Isabella?"

"Good," I shrugged. "Did you come to pick up Rhydian?"

"Maddy's worried about him," there was a sour tone in Emma's voice – the tone of disproval. Rhydian hopped off of the bed, patting me on the head as he passed.

"Bye Bella," he chuckled. I growled.

"Isabella!" Mum hissed.

Rhydian ducked through the door, followed by Maddy's parents. I stared after them, the same feeling burning in my chest.

It wasn't just Maddy.

It wasn't just Rhydian.

It was the parents too.

They were _**all**_ in on it.

"I want to go home," I told Mum, getting up and marching off before anyone could stop me. I waved goodbye to Marrianne, who was watching with unhidden interest, and walked out, my feet pattering on the linoleum floor.

As I made it to the car park, I saw Rhydian and Maddy getting into a Jeep Wrangler. Daniel Smith occupied the driving seat. He saw me staring, and said something to the others that I couldn't catch. I gripped my fists as they pulled away.

I would find out what was up with them. I would.

Mum came running out, as I stood there, staring at nothing in particular.

"Come on, let's get you home," she said, leading me to the small, green, family Ford Focus car, that was parked by the hospital gates.

We drove home in silence. Not a word was said. I was lost in thought. I wouldn't have been able to hold normal conversations with Mum. Not that I held many with her anyway. I was happier alone. Even more so now, as I had a mystery to unravel.

I went straight upstairs as I got in, pleased to see that my truck had been driven home by a member of staff. I would need it tomorrow, if I was going to get to school early enough to do some investigating.

I threw myself on the bed, replaying the scenes in my head. I couldn't remember much, just the screech of tires, the sound my truck made as it sailed out of harm's way...the fear in my heart, when Rhydian stood up, between the truck and the van...

"Oh!" I gasped, sitting up suddenly. Outside the hospital...the words on Daniel Smith's lips. I replayed it in my mind, trying to lip read. No. It was right. I couldn't believe it.

The words he had said.

"_She may be on to us."_


	7. Chapter 6: Clues

Chapter six: Clues

I hurried out to my truck the next day, before anyone could spot me. I didn't need Mum becoming worried, and forcing me to stay at home. Only Melody and Uncle Doctor would be there, and, as much as I loved them, they weren't my first choice for company. I would not admit to myself, however, that my first choice for company would be Maddy and Rhydian. I huffed in disgust, as I got into the warm cab. I was about to start the engine, when Dad tapped on the window. I rolled it down.

"Hey, Dad,"

"You do know that your mother will have a fit when she finds out that you went to school after yesterday, right? Especially since it was MY job to keep you home?"

"I want to go," I said firmly. His eyebrow rose slightly.

"It's your choice, Isabella. Whatever you want," he shrugged, clipping his badge to his crisp lab coat. That caught me off guard.

"Hey, wasn't today supposed to be your day off?" I frowned.

"Yeah, but I got an emergency call-in," he replied. "Two hikers were killed by wolf attack this morning, and they need me down on A+E."

"A...wolf?" I felt my pulse go up.

"We're not in Leadworth anymore, Bells," he said seriously. "These things happened. Why did you think I didn't want you wandering around the woods on Sunday night?"

"Be careful," I murmured, to myself and to him.

"Always am, Isabella," he stroked my hand, before getting into the car behind me. I pulled out and started the drive to school. I gripped the wheel. If I hadn't run away when I had, would I have become a victim, just like Dad's patient? Would anyone have found my body? Would I simply be a missing person, forevermore?

_Oh, stop it,_ I told myself. _Don't be silly. You're alive. You escaped. You're fine._

In my haste, I was one of the first to school. I got a good parking spot, which meant I could avoid people. I didn't need any clamouring questions today. All I needed was to find out why Daniel Smith thought I was on to him, which I hopefully would be soon.

I couldn't avoid people completely though. Jimi cornered me, as I scuttled towards Mr Jeffries' form room.

"Alright, Bella?" he greeted me. "Still alive?"

"Just about," I shrugged. "I'm a trouble magnet. These things happen."

He chuckled, and fell into step with me, as we walked to form. Thankfully, he left me alone after that, and I skulked in the corner, gazing out of the second floor window.

Rhydian and Maddy were later than everyone else. Of course. Mr Jeffries just sighed, as if he'd given up on them. He probably had. I watched them closely, not sure what to do. Should I approach them? Demand an explanation?

Or...

Did I stick with what I had decided last night? Come at it from a side view? Research, plot and then demand?

I liked that idea better than making a fool of myself, and so vowed that I would.

When lunch time rolled around, I headed into the library, sitting at an empty computer. I opened a browser and pondered. What should I search? I had no fathomable starting point. I thought hard, flexing my fingers as I typed.

_Wolves in Stoneybridge, Wales_

I hit 'search', staring at the flood of results. Then, a link caught my eye. _ . _I clicked it, curious. The moors...that was where I saw the wolves.

"I see you've found Shannon's blog then," someone said behind me.

"Gah!" I jumped, turning to face who had spoken. Maddy stood behind me, grinning.

"Don't...do...that!" I gasped.

"Sorry," she chuckled. "What are you doing?"

"I'm looking up some stuff. About wolves," I shrugged. "Y'know. Stuff."

"Oh," she raised her eyebrow. ""Stuff", eh?"

"Yes, stuff," I replied. "So, this is Shannon's blog?"

"Yeah. She's convinced that there are wolves up on the moors,"

"Is there?"

She paused, momentarily, and then shrugged.

"I don't really know. And I don't really want to know,"

"Why is that?"

She shrugged silently.

"Do you and Rhydian go out?" I blurted. She looked surprised.

"Well...yeah, I think so. We don't ever think about it, really,"

"So...that's a yes?"

"Why? What's it to you?" she looked defensive.

"Trying to figure you out, that's all. After Rhydian pushed a van away from my truck," I replied calmly. Maddy bit her lip and then left abruptly. I watched her go.

Yep, she went out with Rhydian. I knew it. And she knew something about the van too. That was probably the biggest clue I was ever going to get. But...how did all these pieces fit together?

I stared at my browser for what seemed like forever, before closing it, and leaving the room, the door banging behind me.

Surprise, surprise, the seat next to me in Biology was empty. I sat down at my empty table, half disappointed. It was a bit hard to figure Rhydian out if he wasn't there.

Our teacher started the class, as I daydreamed.

"Today, we will be exploring Blood typing, to help with your coursework. I'm going to come round and take a sample of your blood, and show you how to analyse it and get your blood type. This will explain a lot of questions in your exam in four months."

He started to come round, pin in hand. My eyes strayed towards him, despite my mind knowing that it was bad for me. He started on the desk nearest to mine, pricking a girl called Kara's finger. A single drop of blood oozed out, landing on a clear slide. The smell of rust drifted towards me, and my stomach churned unattractively. I lay my head on the desk, breathing in and out hard through my nose. I felt a hand touch my shoulder.

"Miss Pond?" I lifted my head. "Are you okay?"

"No," I mumbled, feeling the sweat on my forehead.

"Marlene, take Bella down to the nurse, would you?" he asked. I was helped out of my chair and I limped out of the room and down the corridor.

"Can we go outside?" I asked Marlene, who I didn't really know. We went out into the cold wind, and I sighed, breathing in and out. It made the sick feeling start to fade.

"Bella? You okay?" I glanced up, to see Maddy and Rhydian coming towards me.

"What're you two doing here?" I frowned. "I thought you were ditching class."

"We were," Maddy shuddered. "I can't stand Blood typing. All the classes are doing it today." She noticed my pale face. "Do you want me to take you to the nurse?"

"I can do it," Marlene said from behind us, sounding put out.

"It's fine, you go back to class," I told her, letting Maddy drag Rhydian and me to the nurse's office, by the main reception. There were already three people sitting outside. I heard Rhydian make a noise of disproval. I glared to myself.

The nurse, who heard our arrival, poked her head out of the office.

"Oh, no, not another one," she sighed. "Blood typing in Biology, yes, deary?" I nodded, pitiful. "It's always the same. Every time."

She sat me down, and told Maddy and Rhydian that they were welcome to stay and watch me.

"Miss, I think Isabella- I mean _Bella_- needs to be taken home. Me and Maddy can drive her," Rhydian said innocently.

"I can drive home myself," I said, blushing.

"Not in that state you can't," Maddy said firmly, getting my bag from the floor.

"What about my truck?"

"We'll drive it home after school. Promise," I let them lead me out into the car park, to Rhydian's car, which wasn't far from mine. I hesitated.

"For god's sake, Bella, it won't bite," Rhydian said.

"How do you know?" I mumbled. "Truck pusher."

He rolled his eyes, indicating I was crazy and got into the front, whilst Maddy got in beside him. I reluctantly got in the back. I hunched up. I missed the warmness of my cab and the truck's familiar roar. Rhydian's car was nothing like that. I scowled.

"What the hell is that face for?" he demanded.

"I miss my truck," I said. He didn't say anything else, but pulled away from the school.

"Do you even know where my house is?" I asked.

"Yeah. Maddy's parents mentioned it," he shrugged, as if it was no big deal. He made it to my driveway a lot quicker than I would have.

"Home sweet home," Maddy said, as we stopped outside the green front door.

"Thanks for the ride, guys," I got out.

"No problem," Maddy called, as I went up and unlocked the front door. I watched the tiny blue car drive away.

Why did they skip Biology class? More importantly, Blood Typing?

Was that significant?

I didn't know.


	8. Chapter 7: Quiet day in

Chapter seven: Quiet day in

I skipped school that next day, feigning that I was still sick. Mum seemed too tired to care that I was clearly lying she had been trying to get Melody a job, an action that my sister detested venomously.

"How come ISABELLA doesn't have to get a job?!" she demanded, when I slumped over my toast at breakfast.

"Because, unlike you, Isabella is going to school. We need extra wages coming in. Your Dad was getting a high nurse salary in Leadworth, River, but he's getting a low doctor's wage here. Money will soon pick up, but, until then, we need you working,"

"No way!"

"Come on, River, stop it!" Mum snapped. "There's a nice place in the main town, a cafe called Bernie's. I managed to get a job interview for you today."

"A cafe? I'm not working in some scuzzy little cafe!"

"MELODY POND!" Mum yelled. "You will do as you are told, is that clear?!"

Melody looked so surprised, that she just nodded and went to get dressed in silence. Mum groaned.

"I'll get her sorted out, Isabella. We'll be gone all day, but The Doctor will be here to look after you. He's probably in the TARDIS, okay?"

"Yeah, okay, Mum," I gave her an awkward, one armed hug. "Have a nice day."

"Oh, if only I could," Mum muttered, leaving the room to fetch Melody.

I waved to them, as they walked down the gravel path, realising that I had a day to myself. I went into the kitchen again, and made two cups of coffee, before carrying them outside, into the back garden.

I hadn't really spent much time in the garden, and, as I padded along with the coffees, I got my first proper look. It was overgrown and wild, but also beautiful, mysterious and peaceful. I headed towards the large blue telephone box, sitting towards the shade of the trees. The left door was open, leaving a trail of bright orange light on the green grass. It gave me a sudden pang of homesickness. How many times had I walked across our lawn, back in Leadworth, towards that box? It must have been hundreds.

I brushed it off, and stepped through the door. I smiled, as I entered the bright orange room, with the consol in the centre. Some of my earliest memories were in this room, faded and aged with the passing of years, but still, the feeling of the room never faded away.

"Uncle Doctor?" I called. His head appeared from under the floor, grinning.

"Isabella!" he hurried up the stairs to meet me. "What can I do for you?"

"I got you some coffee," I handed him the mug.

"Thanks," we sat together on one of the chairs, drinking our beverages in silence.

"So, how are you?" Uncle Doctor asked me after a while.

"Good, I guess. Still a bit groggy after yesterday. How 'bout you?"

"I'm always alright," he grinned. I made a noise of agreement. He seemed to catch on. "Is there something you want to talk about, Pumpkin?" I smiled at the use of my old nickname.

"Actually, yes," I took a deep breath. "You're always here. Does Mum ever talk about the Smith family?"

"What, Daniel and Emma?" Uncle Doctor frowned. "Yes, they were round here for lunch a few days ago. Why?"

"Just wondering,"

"You know their daughter, right? Madeline?"

"Yeah. She seems a bit...anti-social,"

"What makes you say that?"

"I'm friends with some of her friends. Apparently, she's always busy when they ask her to go out with them or something. I just wondered about the reason,"

"Well, it seems to me that sometimes people need their own space. Maybe there's just something going on at home, or with her friends. Something human and normal. I don't really understand it all," he waved his hand dismissively and I laughed.

"I know. It just seemed a bit strange. The only person she talks to is this other guy, Rhydian. They're nice enough,"

"Well, then, that's all you need, isn't it, Isabella?"

We sat in more silence for a few moments.

"Uncle Doctor, what do you know about wolves in Britain?"

"They've been extinct for thousands of years in Britain. In the wild, anyway," he frowned again. "Why do you ask?"

"No reason,"

"Pumpkin..." he squeezed my hand. "You can tell me anything. I won't go and tell your parents, if you don't want me to."

"I saw wolves in the forest, up on the moors," I blurted out. "There were two of them. One brown, one grey. And...Dad said that hikers were killed by wolves a few days ago. I could have died, and...What if Dad or someone goes down there to look for them? They'll get hurt!" I burst in tears, childishly, utterly horrified at the thought. Uncle Doctor put his arm around me, and cuddled me until I stopped crying. He fished a handkerchief out of his tweed jacket pocket and wiped my eyes with it.

"There, there, little pumpkin," he soothed. "You're fine. Nothing will happen. Those hikers got unlucky, that's all. The police will find the wolves and put them into care. They'll be looked after and no one will get hurt."

"Really?" I sniffled, doubtfully.

"I promise," he sighed. "But, you know I have to tell your Dad. He'll need the information, to help keep people safe. That's his job, yeah?"

"Okay,"

"Don't worry, pumpkin, I won't say that you saw them,"

"Thank you,"

"You're welcome," he patted my shoulder. "Now, who wants ice cream? Your Mum put some in the fridge earlier."

"Yum!" he took my hand, and we walked back across the grass together. I was glad that I had Uncle Doctor to confide in. Melody wasn't the sister-ly type, and Mum and Dad would have a fit if I told them any of the stuff I just told Uncle Doctor.

We ate our ice cream together, Uncle Doctor getting fish fingers to go with his.

"One of the two things fish fingers go best with!" he winked at me. "Of course, it wouldn't be complete without custard..."

"That's gross!" I chuckled.

"Never call a fish finger 'gross', my little pumpkin,"

We watched films the rest of the afternoon. Uncle Doctor sniggered at everything when I put on a horror film, and criticised every scientific flaw in _Superman_. It became very entertaining, and that's how Mum found us, when she dragged Melody home. I doubled up with laughter, whilst Uncle Doctor continued his lecture to the TV about how it was showing unscientific fact.

"You two," Mum shook her head. "You're one of a kind."


	9. Chapter 8: Stalking

Chapter eight: Stalking

I was so glad that it was Saturday. I woke early, dressing by myself and leaving a note on the kitchen table, explaining that I was going for a walk.

The weak sunlight broke the barrier of mist and cloud and shone on the early March scenery. I walked slowly, down the winding roads. It was peaceful, the eerie quietness of it all. I paused, as I reached one of the old wooden gates that would take me into the woods. Before I knew it, I swung myself up, humming, and walked off down the path. What was I doing? I could die!

I kept going anyway, carrying on my internal debate.

_For god's sake, turn yourself around at get home!_

_**Oh, shut up! Just because no one else is reckless, doesn't mean I can't be! **_

_You could die! Remember how close you came last time?_

_**That was different. That was once. I'll be more careful!**_

_You can't choose when wolves come out of their homes, Bella! Just go home!_

_**No!**_

"Bella?"

A piece of real dialogue brought me out of my head. I found myself staring face to face with Rhydian and Maddy. Rhydian groaned.

"Bloody hell, not you again,"

"Sorry for the inconvenience, Rhydian," I snapped back. "I'll be more transparent next time."

"What are you doing here?" Maddy asked, clearly trying to stop us, before we started killing each other.

"As I have said before, I could ask you the same. It's six thirty in the morning,"

"Then, why are you here?" Rhydian said.

"Walking," I said coldly. "Got a problem with that as well, have you, Rhydian Morris?!"

He burst out laughing.

"I should annoy you more often. It's funny,"

I stuck my tongue out at him.

"Are you stalking us or something?" he asked.

"Oh, you'd know when I was stalking you," I muttered.

"Looking forward to it, Inspector Pond," Rhydian raised his arm in a mock salute.

"Shut up, Rhydian!" I flung back. "Just because you can lift trucks with one hand, doesn't give you the right to be such a cocky little bas-!"

"Okay, moving on!" Maddy interrupted me, as Rhydian burst into more laughter. "I don't want to be responsible for stopping either of you from ripping the other person's throat apart, so stop fighting right now, both of you."

"Aw, man!" Rhydian grinned. "I was enjoying Bella's rant."

"I'm sure you were," Maddy shook her head, grinning too. I scowled. They both had to gang up on me, didn't they?

"What are you actually doing here, Bella?"

"I was looking for the wolves," I replied innocently. "The wolves I told Rhydian about."

"Really?" Maddy shot a look at Rhydian, who shrugged.

"Yeah. Why?"

"I'm interested, that's all," she replied. "That explains why you've been looking at wolves on the internet."

"Do you two know anything?"

"What makes you say that?" she asked, defensively.

"Maddy..." Rhydian spoke up, and then tailed away. "Don't you think...?"

"Do I think what?" she frowned.

"Nothing. Tell you later,"

"What? What's going on?"

"Nothing, Bella. Don't concern yourself,"

"I think I'm fairly concerned. You know, since you lifted a van away from me,"

"You were lucky. That's all,"

"Oh, lucky nothing! Luck had nothing to do with it!" I snapped. "I have no luck!"

"True," Rhydian shrugged.

"Rhydian, we have to go," Maddy gave me an apologetic look. "Sorry, Bella. My parents are expecting us."

"At six-thirty in the morning?"

"Yeah...family meeting,"

"Oh, of course. You guys are cousins. Well, have fun," I turned, and picked my way back along the path, leaving them. Something burned in my mind.

What did Rhydian mean? I just got lucky? That was a load of crap. I had no luck whatsoever, no lucky stars, no nothing.

And, Maddy? Meetings with parents? Walking in the woods at six-thirty? Something big was there, screaming me in the face.

I could decipher it. I just couldn't. It hurt my brain to.

Everyone was up, when I eventually got back. Mum looked up, as I came in. She had done her hair and makeup, so I assumed she was going for a modelling job.

"Isabella," she smiled at me. "Good walk?"

"Yes, thanks," I grabbed a piece of toast.

"Well, I and your Dad are at work, so you three will be on your own today. I want nothing broken," this last statement was directed towards Melody and Uncle Doctor.

"We never break things!" Uncle Doctor protested, promptly dropping his mug of coffee onto the kitchen floor.

"Whoops," he said, fumbling for the brush to clear up the broken china.

"See my point?" Mum chuckled.

"Hey, that was not my fault!" Uncle Doctor protested again, looking innocent. I raised my eyebrow, and he winked at me.

"I'm going," Dad called, kissing my forehead, and Mum's. "Bye, all."

"Have a nice day, Rory the roman," Uncle Doctor called.

"I thought we agreed to drop that nickname,"

"That's a great name!"

"Last time, you came to my work party and called me that in front of my boss!"

"So?"

"I was mocked for weeks!"

"They were all jealous of your cool title, Rory!"

"What, 'Rory roman'?" Dad scoffed.

"Yes!"

"Keep dreaming, Doctor," he shook his head, as he shut the door behind him.

"I'm slightly scared to leave you now, guys," Mum chuckled. "What will you get up to when I'm not around?" Melody opened her mouth and Mum held up her hand. "On second's thought, don't answer that!"

We all laughed, as Mum parted from our company, and it was just us crowded in the small room.

"Can we watch _Pam's Labyrinth_ today?" I asked. "We should do all the translating again. That was fun!"

Uncle Doctor agreed, and so Melody put the film on. It was a Spanish horror film that we all enjoyed, even though the cast of _Pam's labyrinth_ had starred in my nightmares for quite some time now.

I was right about the nightmares. I fell asleep during the afternoon, and had the worst nightmare ever. I woke up in the evening, screaming and sweating.

"No way are you watching _Pam's labyrinth _again, pumpkin," Uncle Doctor said, rocking backwards and forwards as I tried to calm down. "Go upstairs, get some proper rest."

I nodded, and warily climbed the stairs, falling on my bed. As I was about to drop off, I heard something. A small, but distinct, tapping on my window. I froze. _Pam's Labyrinth_ members started swarming into my head. I pushed them away. I had to stop watching that.

I stood up, shakily, and went to the window, pushing it wide open, and peering into the night.


	10. Chapter 9: Telling a discovery

Chapter nine: Telling a discovery

"Bella!" someone hissed from the ground. "Down here!"

I squinted in the dim light.

"Rhydian?" I gaped.

"Move out of the way, Bella. I'm coming up," I stood back, and a few seconds later, he swung himself into my bedroom.

"Whoa," I said.

"Hey," he greeted me.

"What the hell are you doing here? My brother and sister will have a fit if they know that you're here!" I hissed. Melody would never let me hear the end of this, and would eventually tell Mum, by dropping suggestive hints about it whenever I was in ear-shot.

"I had to talk to you. About today,"

"In the woods?"

"Yeah," he shook his head, dazed. "I don't know how to explain this."

"Explain what?"

"Bella, I wish I could tell you straight. But, I can't. I literally can't,"

"Why not?"

"Haven't you ever kept a secret? One that you couldn't tell anyone? Because it wasn't...just yours to share, as it were?"

"What? Do you mean like it would be concerning you and someone else?"

"Not just me. Loads of others,"

"You can tell me,"

"Look, this has gone on far too long," he sighed. "When you were saved from the van- don't start talking about it-" he held up his hand to stop me. "-I realised that we couldn't keep it from you. You'd seen too much, worked out more facts than anyone."

"So...why not tell me?"

"I told you, I can't. But, this is beyond a joke now. Maddy's family told me not to come here, but...Maddy agreed that I should. So, we came,"

"Maddy's here?"

"She's outside, in my car," he replied. "She said it would be better if I came."

"Look, I'm tired of this. I'm done with the secrets and the lies and the excuses, Rhydian. I just want the truth. And I won't give up until I've got the truth,"

"I know, I know," he patted my shoulder. "I wish I could explain, Bella. It would be so much easier. But, do you know the killer part of this? The worst part?"

I shook my head.

"You know, Bella. You've seen everything you need to see to know the truth,"

"What?"

"You know this, Bella. You told me about it,"

"Told you what?"

"Bella!" he groaned in frustration. "Isabella, think!"

"Okay, I'll try,"

"Don't try! Just remember! I can see it on your face. You know that what's going on is screaming you in the face, and you can't work it out! But, you can!"

He gripped my shoulder.

"Bella. Think back to the beach trip day. That's all I can tell you. Think back to the beach trip day. Please, try to remember."

"I'll try, I promise," I gave him an odd hug. He seemed surprised.

"Thanks," he turned away from me, and leapt gracefully out of my window. I watched, shocked, as he landed on his feet and rushed off into the darkness.

I lay back on my bed, thinking. What did he mean? I knew his secret? How?

I must have fallen asleep, because, suddenly, I found myself in a dream. I was strolling along the beach I had been to with Shannon and Tom and the others, the wind whistling through my hair, as I hummed under my breath.

Suddenly, something grabbed my arm. I jumped. It was Shannon. Her eyes were wild with fright behind her glasses, and she pulled me along faster.

"Shannon?"

"Bella, we have to run!" she gasped, panting.

"What?"

"Run, Bella!" Tom yelled from up ahead. "Don't look back, just run for it!" I turned, to see what they were running from.

Maddy and Rhydian strolled carelessly after us, arms linked. I pulled my arm free of Shannon's grip.

"Shannon, what are you talking about?" I asked. "It's only Maddian!" No reply. "Shannon?"

I turned back, gasping in horror.

The path behind me was covered in broken, bled out corpses, all of them people I knew and loved. Nearest to me were my mother and father. I clutched my stomach, feeling ill.

"How did this happen?" I asked, whipping my head around to Rhydian.

"You know this, Bella," he smirked. "You've always known."

His shape blurred. Gone was the blonde boy who sat next to me and scowled in Biology. I was facing the grey wolf that I saw in the woods that night I had gotten lost.

Oh my god. I DID know. Of course I knew. This was what had been staring at me in the face.

Maddy smiled sweetly behind the wolf-Rhydian, who advanced towards me.

"You're next, Bella," she said.

I woke, screaming at the top of my lungs. My face was pressed into the pillow, my lips forming words that I could not hear above my hysterics. There was a word that I was chocking on, suffocating because of. I knew. I tried to force it out.

"Werewolves," I gasped. "Oh, my god..."

The world swirled the wrong way, tipping me out of balance.

What kind of backwards town WAS this?! Did werewolves and vampires live alongside humans? Was this the English equivalent of Forks, Washington? I wished for Leadworth. In Leadworth, I wouldn't have given Rhydian or Maddy a second thought. But, here...

I shuddered, gripping the side of the bed, as the world slowly swung back, settling my stomach. I gasped for air, as if I was drowning. I was drowning, in my own shock.

What was I going to do? I had finally solved the mystery of 'Maddian'- they were big, fluffy animals- but, what was I going to do? They would kill me!

I groaned again. The hiker...the people my Dad was treating. Maddy and Rhydian had...? Killed them? No, they wouldn't. Would they? They were fluffy animals- I couldn't make myself say the W word again- not humans.

Not humans...oh, god. I muffled my face again, in case any sound slipped out.

There was no way I was sitting in this house, when there were werewolves out there. I needed answers and I needed them now.


	11. Chapter 10: Confrontation

Chapter ten: Confrontation

I raced down the stairs, two at a time, grabbing my jacket from the banister. It was still early, no later than five-thirty in the morning. A dim trickle of light fell through the living room curtains. Uncle Doctor was asleep on the sofa, legs dangling off of the arm. I dodged past him and slipped out of the front door. I shivered in the cold wind, and climbed into my truck. I gripped the wheel, as I started the engine and raced towards the village. I gasped in shaky breaths, tears running down my face, my hands trembling against the wheel. I couldn't believe it. It seemed too massive to fit in my head.

Werewolves. Of all the things, werewolves.

Maddy's house wasn't hard to find, even though I had no clue where it was. I recognised The Smiths' jeep and swerved into the driveway, getting out. Before I could lose my nerve, I marched up to the door and rapped on it. No one answered.

"Hello?!" I yelled through the letterbox. No one replied. I glanced doubtfully around the side of the house, and started to walk to the back garden, not caring that it was technically trespassing.

I had only moved a few metres into the wilderness that was their garden, when someone called out to me. I turned, to see Daniel and Emma Smith coming out of the house.

"Isabella, what can we do for you?" Daniel asked me pleasantly.

"I came to speak to Maddy," I replied. "I needed to tell her something."

"Shall we pass it on for you?" I could see that Emma was keen for me to leave.

"No, I think I'd better do it. So she knows that I haven't gone insane,"

"Isabella...did Maddy or Rhydian come to your house last night?"

"Actually, yes. I had a very interesting conversation with Rhydian," I nodded. "Kind of why I'm here."

"What did he say?"

"He didn't tell me anything. Just _hinted_," I shrugged. "And the rest is history."

I glanced at Emma Smith. She did not look at all happy. She trembled all over, eyes closed, fingers twitching.

"Em, stop it!" Daniel shook her shoulder, but she batted him away, furious. He turned to me, eyes wild. "Isabella, get back!"

I was so surprised by the instruction that my feet unwillingly stumbled back a few centimetres. I forced myself to stay.

"Em, calm down!" Daniel was begging his wife, which didn't seem to be doing much good. Emma's eyes opened and fixed on me. I gasped.

They were glowing a bright, fluorescent yellow-golden colour. There were black veins running up the side of her face and she growled towards me, teeth bared.

"Em, stop this now! Back down now!"

But there was no way Emma was 'backing down'. She advanced towards me, the edges of her form blurring. Suddenly, she vanished, her shape becoming completely out of focus, like dodgy reception on an old television. She was replaced by a large, shaggy brown wolf. I stumbled backwards then, turning and running across their garden. Anywhere, just to get me out of here.

"Bella!" I recognised the voice. Maddy and Rhydian were sprinting towards us.

"Run!" I yelled, despite the fact that they wouldn't get hurt. They didn't listen. "You're running the wrong way! Run!"

Maddy reached me forest. She dragged me to the ground and exploded in front of me, into the tawny brown wolf I had seen in the forest. She crouched protectively in front of me, growling at her mother. Rhydian stood behind me, as I lay on the floor, watching, utterly fascinated, yet horrified.

Maddy and Emma circled each other, growling furiously.

"Enough!" Daniel roared, standing in between them. "Maddy, take Isabella indoors. Get her something to drink."

I blinked, and suddenly, Maddy was back, panting, glaring towards her wolf-form mother. She held out a hand to me, and I took it, shaking.

"Bella? You okay?" Rhydian asked, supporting most of my weight, as I hobbled across the grass and into Maddy's house. I collapsed on the first chair I came across, and put my head in my hands, breathing hard.

"Bella? You look like you're about to pass out," Rhydian said from somewhere near me.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, shaking my head.

"You don't look it,"

"Like you'd know," I muttered. "Van lifter."

"I thought we'd gotten over that," he said, in mock innocence.

"In your dreams, perhaps," I lifted my head to look at him. He lay back on the sofa like he lived there. He probably did. "And, thanks for the hints. You gave me a nightmare."

"You're welcome. Does that mean I'm off the hook?"

"You wish," I grinned at him.

"Here," Maddy handed me a china mug and I sipped the hot liquid inside it.

"Thanks," I gulped the drink down, not caring about the hot burn against my throat. "So...what's new?"

"Really?" Rhydian raised his eyebrow. "You're going with that?"

"Like you could do any better," I said. "So, you're werewolves?"

"Not exactly,"

"You either are or you aren't, Maddy. There's no go betweens when it come to morphing into giant dogs,"

Rhydian sniggered. Maddy stuck her tongue out at him, before turning back to me.

"We're not called werewolves,"

"What are you called? Fluffy dogs?"

"Wolfbloods,"

"And the difference is...?"

"Werewolves are monsters. We're not monsters. We're just not normal by everyone else's standard,"

"Is that why you...killed those hikers?" I stumbled over the words. Her face creased.

"What?"

"You what?" Rhydian chortled at the same time.

"You killed those hikers. The ones on the trail. My Dad sorted them out at the hospital,"

"What are you talking about, Bella?"

"Look, I understand," I pushed on. "You need to live. But, don't kill people. They don't deserve it, okay?"

"Bella, we're not killing anyone!" Maddy snapped, clearly hurt.

"Really? But, then...?" I tailed away. "Who...?"

"Wild Wolfblood. Got to be,"

"Wild Wolfblood?"

"They don't lock themselves away. They don't act as we do. They're dangerous!"

"A Wolfblood killed those hikers?" I asked faintly. "Oh, Jesus..."


	12. Chapter 11: Captured

Chapter eleven: Captured

What the hell was I doing?

"I'm just going to go for a walk, okay?" I said to Maddy, as we sat in silence around her kitchen table.

"Okay, Bella, only don't go into the forest, 'kay?"

"Sure," I said. Lying, as usual. I left my coat there, dodging past Emma, who was still focusing on me, and walked out into their garden. Checking behind me, to make sure that I was unseen, I scuttled across her garden and through the wooden gate that led into the woods.

What was I thinking? I couldn't put a stop to this, I wasn't a Wolfblood. And this was their problem, not mine, right?

My reckless side certainly didn't agree.

I ran then, down the wooded path, brushing branches out of my eyes. I would only have a few seconds, and then they'd realise where I'd gone, or see that I was nowhere in their garden. I could only push myself to run faster and cover more ground before they caught me.

I slowed to a walk as I reached the moors, my face dripping with sweat, my palms and knees grazed from my tripping so often. The warm, earthy smell of the woods slowed my breathing down, which was coming out in ragged gasps.

The scene was beautiful, I couldn't deny that. The waves of green grass that lapped up against my jeans, the dazzling early morning sunlight, the gorgess feeling of finally getting some sun. I couldn't believe that there was any kind of warmth up here. I'd almost forgotten what the sun looked like.

I walked on a bit more, crossing into deeper woods, pushing aside odd branches weakly, my arms aching. The quietness of it all was deafening to me, and unnatural. What about my family? They hadn't a clue where I was. I brushed them off. Right now, someone could be being killed, and if I didn't stop it, it would be MY fault.

I stumbled along an overgrown track, almost tripping over something. Only as I scrambled up, did I realise that it was a _someone_.

"Oh!" I gasped, looking down at the small boy on the ground. He gazed up at me, with large, round eyes. They were dark brown in colour, with a flicker of hazel around the pupil. I frowned slightly. Why did those eyes look so familiar? Like I'd seen them before?

"Who are you?" I asked. "Are you lost?"

"No," the boy snapped in reply. His voice had a slight accent on it, one that I couldn't place. "Who are you?"

"I'm Bella," I replied, crouching down beside him. A strand of thick black hair blew into his face, and he pushed it away in annoyance. "What's your name?"

"Bryn," he said, looking at me and then at the scrapes on my palm. "You tripped over?"

"Yeah," I balled my hands into fists, wincing slightly at the stinging. "It's nothing. Anyway, what are you doing out here, Bryn? Are you lost?"

"No, I live here," the sharp tone was back in his voice. "Are you going to take me away? Like they did my brother?"

"Your brother?" something tugged at my insides.

"Yes. The humans took him away," Bryn glanced back up into my eyes. "Are you going to take me away?"

"No. When you say 'humans'..."

He looked shifty, as if he'd said too much.

"It's okay," I reached out to touch the arm of his dirty overcoat. "I won't hurt you."

"I don't want to be like my brother," the little boy wailed, jumping up, ready to bolt away from me.

"Your brother?" I repeated, clicking the pieces together. "Is your brother called Rhydian, by any chance?"

"Yes," the boy's eyes narrowed. That was so typically Rhydian. God, as if one wasn't bad enough! "How do you know him?"

"We're friends. He's a Wolfblood, like you, yes?"

"How do you know so much?"

"He told me!" I protested, as Bryn started to run for it. "Wait!"

I scrambled up from the floor, racing after the boy. He was fast, being a Wolfblood and everything, already half way up the trail ahead of me.

"Hey!" I yelled after him. "Bryn!"

He pretended not to hear me, scuttling off down at steep ridge. I followed, breathless, but not caring. Rhydian didn't seem to care about families. That was the impression I had gotten, anyway – an impression I was sure was incorrect. No one could not care. Not even Rhydian-sensitive hearing- Morris.

I stopped suddenly, realising that I had lost Bryn. I groaned in annoyance, leaning against an old oak tree to catch my breath. It was then that I realised that I had no idea where I was. At all.

Great. I was probably going to get eaten or something. Although, I had thought that about Rhydian and Maddy, and they didn't eat me, just made me so scared I practically pissed myself. This was understandable, of course. I hadn't known anything. I'd been so naive back then, even though it was only a week ago really. So much had changed, so much had brought me to the here and now.

There was nothing else to do, but continue on through this unknown forest, until I came into some kind of contact. People were in the forest all the time, Dad said, wolf attack or not, so someone must be here early, and be able to direct me to the street.

I continued on slowly, keeping my pace steady. _No need to panic_, I told myself, _you're fine_. Of course, my mind wasn't co-operating. My hands shook as I walked, and I swallowed hard at the lump in my throat to stop myself breaking down into sobs. I was actually _wishing_ for Maddy and Rhydian now, for them to appear in that odd Wolfblood way that they did, especially when I needed them the most, even if I didn't know it.

Suddenly, a twig snapped behind me. I jumped, glancing around me in fear, half hoping that it was Bryn. I saw no one, and hesitantly took another step forward.

As soon as I did, someone grabbed me from behind, covering my mouth. A sharp, needle like pain jabbed at the skin of my neck, piercing the flesh there. I screamed, but the sound was barely audible behind the large hand. I couldn't breathe at all, and I panicked, trying desperately to break free. But, my arms were sagging at my sides, my legs becoming limp.

The last thing I remember was the muffled shrieks fading softly into the background...


	13. Chapter 12: Fight

Chapter twelve: Fight

The ground was soft beneath me, as the feeling started to come back to my body. I was dumped carelessly against a tree, my hair hanging over my face. Strong ropes bound me to the trunk of the tree, cadging my arms and legs. I glanced up, into the eyes of six boys. They glowered down at me, eyes coal black, lips parted in a snarl.

"What's going on?" I asked, my voice croaky. "Where am I?"

They didn't answer me. One of them bent down and sniffed my coat. I forced myself not to squirm away from him.

"She carries the scent," he said to the tallest one, giving me a shove as he got up.

"What? What do you mean?" I asked again.

"The scent of a tame one," the red-head said, rolling his eyes at me. "Don't you know anything?"

The tallest one spat at me, and I flinched.

"You're a disgrace to our species!" he hissed. I cowered away. "Living as a tame Wolfblood!"

"But, I'm not!" I protested. "I'm not a Wolfblood!"

"Yeah?" the one who sniffed me laughed humorously. "How many tames say that, do you think? You think we're stupid? That we can't smell? You've got the scent all over you!"

I thought back. Maddy, shoving me on the ground. Rhydian, helping me indoors. Oh, of course. I had to admit, despite the spitting and everything, them thinking I was a Wolfblood was flattering. Wolfbloods seemed so graceful. I had never been graceful in my life.

"Pull her up," the tallest ordered. "Bring the tame one."

My arms were jerked out of the ropes, as I was dragged to my feet. I staggered over to where I had been instructed, looking around me in wonder. We seemed to be at the bottom of a huge cavern, trees stretching up as high as the sky.

"Sit," ordered the tallest again, and I obeyed. "Why did you come here?"

"I wanted to ask you something," I replied.

"A tame? Wanting a wild to help them?" he laughed. "Really, how stupid do you think we are? If anything, we're smarter than you! We are fully Wolfblood! You hide in the shadows!"

"I'm not a Wolfblood!" I said, starting to rise. One of the others pushed me roughly to the floor, spitting in my face.

"Stand only when you are told!"

I stayed where I was, wiping the spray from my lips, retching.

"Why did you really come here?" he demanded again. "Why did you cross the boarders? Where's the rest of your pack?"

"I don't have a pack!"

"So, you're an outcast?"

"I'm not a Wolfblood at all! I'm human!"

"Drop the act, little girl. I know a tame when I smell one!"

"That would be my friends!"

"So, you didn't come here alone?"

"I did! I escaped!"

"Paul!" the boy clicked his fingers at the red-head. "Search the boarders. Find this little one's pack. Don't waste time, just kill them."

"No!" I yelped. If Maddy and Rhydian came to look for me...

"Tell us why you came!"

"I did!" I begged, starting to cry nosily. "I came alone, because you've been killing people from the village! I don't want that!"

"You cross over _our_ boarders, to tell us how to _live_?!" Paul howled. His fist came up and slapped my cheek hard. I groaned at the pain. He did it again, harder each time, until my cheek was throbbing.

"Enough, Paul," the tallest glared.

"Yes, Ryan," Paul ran off out of my line of vision.

"So," Ryan lent forward. "You going to tell us how to live, are you?"

"I just want you to stop the killing!" I mumbled, trying to mop up the blood that was falling from my mouth.

"Wait!" Ryan leapt towards me, grabbing my sleeve, which was covered in spots of blood. He smelt it, eyes glowing.

"Human blood,"

At those two words, the rest of the boys seemed to circle around me.

"Good," Ryan's voice was deadly. "It's been ages since I had a ready meal..."

I squeezed my eyes shut, as he leaned in, teeth bared, snapping inches from my face.

A growling from behind me stopped him in his tracks. I turned, and saw the best sight of my life.

Two wolves were racing towards us, one tawny brown and the other grey. I sighed in relief, as they stopped metres away, growling and snarling.

"Your pack, then? 'Friends'?" Ryan smirked. "Wolfbloods and humans aren't friends."

He dropped his grip on me and lunged for wolf-Rhydian, who leapt out of the way. Maddy snarled again, charging at the people around me. They pushed me roughly aside, and crouched, blurring into an array of wolves.

I didn't see much after that. I was crawling away, my vision hurting. All I could hear were the snapping of jaws, as they fought over me.

Over my life.

"Bella," Rhydian's voice came in my ear. "Are you hurt?" instead of answering, I burst into noisy tears again, sobbing. Rhydian lifted me up and ran from the scene.

"You can't leave Maddy on her own," I said through my tears.

"Her parents are there," Rhydian said, although he sounded like he'd rather be there than carrying a sobbing teenager through the forest. "They'll be fine. We have to get you out of there, anyway."

"It was my fault,"

"Damn right it's your bloody fault," Rhydian sighed heavily. "You scared us, Bella. Good job on the escape though. Couldn't have done it better myself."

I chuckled, as I ran out of tears to shed. We ran in silence for a few moments, before Rhydian jumped, jolting me.

"Whoa!" my eyes snapped open. I shrieked, as I saw the hedges and the road rushing past. It was like we were flying.

"Slow down!" I begged.

"I'm going slowly," he replied, not sounding a bit tired.

"Slow down, please!" I wailed. My stomach gurgled unhealthily.

"Close your eyes," he said. I closed them, praying that the journey would be over soon.

Almost as soon as I did, I felt the thud of Rhydian's feet.

"We're here," he said. I opened my eyes, to my own room. Rhydian placed me on the bed, and I rocked there, trying to force the sick feeling away.

"How did we get in?" I asked.

"The window," he replied. "No one else is inside at the moment. You'll be okay for a bit."

My stomach wasn't so sure. I retched, covering my mouth.

"Bella?" Rhydian looked horrified and out of his depth. Bless him, he was.

I flew past him and out of my room, to the empty bathroom, where I proceeded to empty out the contents of my stomach, which wasn't much.

"Sorry, Bella," Rhydian helped me back to bed. "Should have warned you. The knock outs used by the wild Wolfbloods don't react well with humans. You'll have the flu for the rest of the day."

"Great," I groaned, lying down on my pillow, feeling my face going white. Rhydian sat by my feet, producing a bucket from the bathroom.

"You can sleep, Bella," he said, after we sat in silence.

"I don't want to sleep," I replied.

"What do you want then?"

I took a deep breath.

"I want to talk."


	14. Chapter 13: Sickness

Chapter thirteen: Sickness

"Talk?" Rhydian looked surprised at my request. "About what?"

"Everything. You. Maddy. Wolfbloods. Everything."

"Okay...where do you want to start?"

"What's the deal between you and Maddy?"

"Excuse me?"

"Do you love Maddy and go out with her, or is there something more than that? Or is it friendship?"

"Well..." he struggled to find the words. "Have you read _Twilight_?"

"Yes, I have," I blushed slightly. "It was sort of why I was called Bella. My mother's mother was Isabella, but then I read _Twilight_, and since then I've always called myself Bella to others. Why?"

"Have you read the part about imprinting?"

"Oh, my god, is that _real_?"

"Not exactly," Rhydian paused. "But, it's like that. It's when a Wolfblood involuntarily finds his soul mate, but it's not imprinting. It's called Riolasit."

"What?"

"It's when you see each other for the first time," he said. "It's like...you sort of float away. Nothing else really matters. It causes pain to be away from each other. There's no Wolfblood power more powerful than that."

"And, you and Maddy...?"

"Yeah...I think so," he seemed distant now. "There was one time, at first...I thought I was going to have to leave. I hated it here at first, and I wanted to leave. And then...when I tried, I got a pain in my chest, and it was like I couldn't make myself leave."

"If you had...what would have happened?"

"It can kill Wolfbloods, Riolasit, if the soul mates are apart for too long. But, that only happens after years and years, when the pain becomes too much. If I had stayed away...I don't think I would have lived very long. Or I would have been dragged back here on a full moon," he smirked. "I wasn't very good back then."

"How long ago was this?"

"About two or three years ago. I've stayed with Maddy ever since,"

"Does she know about all this soul mate stuff?"

"Sort of," Rhydian looked shifty. "She doesn't know about the pain bit, though."

"Why not?"

"Because it's not like I'm ever going to leave, Bella. Why worry her about something that will never happen?"

"So, you're staying?"

"Yes, Bella, I'm staying,"

"Good," I thought for a moment.

"More twenty questions?"

"Yes. Why doesn't Emma like me?"

"She does like you, Bella. It's just that bad things can happen when humans find out about Wolfbloods. Like today. Someone could have got hurt,"

"You didn't have to come and get me, you know," I said.

"Not _us_, Bella. _You_. How could we explain your sudden disappearance if they had killed you?"

"I don't know," I said truthfully.

"Well then,"

"But, she tried to attack me!"

"She was shocked, Bella. Shocked that you knew the truth, and angry that we had told you, although she blames me," there was a tone in his voice.

"Why doesn't Emma approve of you?" I asked.

"I'm descended from wild Wolfbloods. Maddy's tame. Tames and wilds don't get on. You found that out,"

"But, _why_? Surely, it doesn't matter where you come from?"

"The world doesn't work that way, Bella," Rhydian went quiet, as I threw up in the bucket again, wiping my mouth with a tissue. He was back with a glass of water before I could register that he was gone. I drank silently, washing my mouth out. Once I had finished, I settled back down. Rhydian sat beside me now, tissues ready in case I was sick again.

"It's not fair," I said. "That just because wilds and tames don't like each other, Emma doesn't approve? It's wrong, Rhydian. You love Maddy, that's all that matters."

"I wish the rest of the world thought like you, Bella," he said. "And I know Maddy does too."

"Someone say m'name?" Maddy swung herself through my bedroom window. She glanced at us. "You okay, Bella?"

I groaned, throwing up again. Maddy sat next to Rhydian, cuddling up to him.

"What's going on?" she asked.

"We're talking," I replied. "About Wolfbloods. And how the rest of the world should think like me, when it comes to you two."

Rhydian quickly explained, as I rinsed my mouth.

"You're right, Bella," Maddy said, as I lay back. "It's not fair." Her voice was thick, as if she was about to cry. Rhydian's arms went around her.

At some point, I must have slept, because I woke suddenly, three or four times, from a dreamless sleep. For the first few times, Maddy and Rhydian were still there, curled up, arms around each other, asleep. They seemed so peaceful that I rolled over and let them sleep. The fourth time I woke up, a blanket was draped over my muddy clothes, my water had been replaced, my bucket rinsed. The general sounds of my family came from downstairs. I glanced to the side of me. I was the only occupant in my room. My eyes swivelled to the window, which was open, the curtains blowing in the breeze. I felt he duvet next to me. Still slightly warm. Maddy and Rhydian couldn't have left long ago.

After I staggered through to the bathroom, to use the loo and brush my teeth, I went downstairs, eyes drooping. Mum looked up as soon as I came in.

"Oh, my poor baby!" she came over and cuddled me. "How are you?"

"Fine, Mum," I glanced around the kitchen, at everyone else. I jumped, as I saw two extra people sitting on the sofa.

Maddy and Rhydian.

They waved to me from their seats, as Uncle Doctor continued a lesson on the history of roads, which he was giving them.

"Hi, guys," I said, sitting beside them.

"Feeling any better, little pumpkin?" Uncle Doctor asked.

"Yeah," I lied.

"_Pumpkin_?" Rhydian bit his lip, grinning. I knew that he wanted to laugh. I kicked him in the shins.

"Loose the grin," I hissed, and then spoke normally. "So, what are we watching?"

The television was on, not that anyone was watching it.

"_The vampire diaries_," Maddy replied, nodding towards the pixels on the screen. I tried to focus on the screen, but my concentration faltered, and I groaned.

"I'm tired," I got up. "I'm going back to sleep."

"Oh, Bella," Maddy turned to me. "If you're up to it, do you want to come over tomorrow? There's something that'll really cheer you up."

"Okay, sure," I said. "See you guys tomorrow. After school?"

"Sure," said Rhydian, but there was a twinkle in his eye.

I rolled my eyes and headed for the stairs.


	15. Chapter 14: The meadow

Chapter fourteen: the meadow

School was so lonely the next day, without Maddy or Rhydian's company. Not that Tom and Shannon didn't try and cheer me up, when I walked to the canteen with them at lunch, glum about the two absent pupils.

However, I was surprised, after school, to find Maddy and Rhydian leaning against my truck casually.

"Hey, guys," I greeted them. "What's going on?"

"My surprise," Maddy replied. "Remember?"

"Where have you been all day? Everyone was asking," I unlocked my truck, dumping my bag.

"We were writing up something," Rhydian grinned, and I felt horror and suspicion both at the same time.

"What?"

"It's a surprise," he replied. "Come on, hop in. I'll drive."

"What?" I said again, as me and Maddy both squashed into the passenger seat and Rhydian took the wheel. "I don't let people drive my car!"

"You do now," Rhydian said cheerfully, pulling out of the school car park and racing up the road.

"Is this part of the surprise?" I asked nervously.

"Yes," Maddy caught sight of my face. "Don't worry, Bella. It'll be fine."

"Yeah," I said vaguely, not really believing her.

We drove on in silence for a few moments, before Rhydian pulled over to the side of the road, by the woods.

"Here, we go on foot," he said, getting out. Maddy coaxed me to follow and I did so, regretfully.

We swung ourselves over the gate, Rhydian showing off as usual, before we walked down a long, winding trail, one that I had not noticed before.

"Are we nearly there?" I asked.

"Close," Maddy replied. Silence fell on us for a few moments, before Maddy stopped by a collection of ferns.

"Go on through, Bella," she said, and I did.

It was a small meadow, with silky green grass and filled with wildflowers. The brilliant sun falling in shafts of light from the sky cast a golden glow on the scene. Across from me was a small ledge and I walked over to it, peering over the edge.

From it, I could see the whole of Stoneybridge, with its village shops, and long, winding roads. I sat in the soft grass, watching it all, aware of Maddy and Rhydian behind me.

"This is perfect," I said, grinning widely. "How d'you find this place?"

"I was hiking one day and found it," Maddy sat beside me. "Beautiful, isn't it?"

"There's sun here!" I cried joyfully. "How is that possible?"

"It's nature, Bella. It does beautiful things that we can't understand," Rhydian said, sitting by Maddy. "And, since this is so beautiful, I thought we'd celebrate it with twenty questions."

He pulled a piece of A4 from his pocket and waved it. "Only this time, it's you answering the questions, Bella."

"Great," I moaned, causing Maddy to laugh.

"We just want to know about you, Bella. You found out a lot about us, but we know hardly anything about you,"

"Fine," I relented, and Rhydian scanned the sheet of paper.

"Question one. What is your full name?"

"Isabella Jane Pond," I replied.

"Question two. Why are you called this? What is the reasoning behind your name?"

"Well..." I thought carefully. "My mother's name was Isabella, but I shorten it to Bella. Pond is the name my mother had before she married Dad, so she called me by her maiden name. And Jane comes from a friend of my parents. She was called Sarah Jane Smith, but she died, and so they named me Jane after her, as a tribute or something like that. Mum says I act a lot like Sarah Jane."

"That's cool," said Maddy, before reading out the next question. "Question three. How old are you?"

I raised my eyebrow. "I'm seventeen. Same as everyone else."

"Question four. When is your birthday?"

"September 11th. Cursed, I know," I said, thinking of what happened on September 11th 2001.

"Question five. Where were you born?"

"Leadworth. Royal Hope Hospital, I think," I shrugged. "Never asked, really."

"Question six. How many family members do you have?"

"Loads," I chuckled. "I have Mum, Dad, Uncle Doctor, River, a cousin in Australia, grandparents back in Leadworth from my mother's side, a sort of sister-in-law called Ace. My brother-in-law adopted her when she was young, so she counts to us as family. I can't remember any more. I think I have family all over England."

"Question seven. What's your favourite song?"

"That's a weird question," I said.

"Humour us," Rhydian teased.

"Okay, then. _I didn't mean it_ by the Belle Brigade,"

"Question eight. What's your favourite movie?"

"Umm..." I hesitated. "_Pam's labyrinth_."

"Question nine," Maddy took the piece of paper. "What's your favourite food?"

"Banana and sultana flapjacks. The ones that Uncle Doctor makes,"

"Are they as weird as those cookies he made last night?" Rhydian asked.

"Surprisingly, no," I shrugged. "They're nice, actually."

"Question ten. Have you ever been in love?"

"No," I screwed up my face. "Boys didn't like me, and I don't like them. Not in that way, anyway. Friends are okay though."

"Strong opinions," Maddy said. "I once thought the same."

"But then, _MOI_ came along," Rhydian grinned happily, before reading out the next question. "Question eleven. Do you wish that you could travel back in time?"

"Of course," I smiled to myself at the knowledge that I already had, thanks to Uncle Doctor.

"Question twelve. What's your life ambition?"

"I want to be a writer," I pondered for a few moments. "Or run an authentic, antique bookshop. Maybe. I don't know. I deal with the future as it comes."

"Good plan," Rhydian patted my shoulder. "I do much the same."

"I gathered," Maddy said, rolling her eyes at us. "Question thirteen. Where in the world would you most love to visit?"

"Paris," I replied. "I'd love to go into a really posh hotel, with a balcony, and sit on a balcony, in the twilight, watching the people down below, the silhouette of the Eiffel tower in the distance..."

"Sounds relaxing. Not really my thing," Rhydian said dismissively.

"I gathered, after you ran so fast that I felt sick,"

"That was the Wolfblood drug, not me, Bella,"

"Anyway," Maddy interrupted. "Question fourteen. Do you get on well with your family?"

"Mostly," I shrugged again, which seemed to be a general accompaniment to my answers. "Depends who it is. I get on with them all most of the time, but sometimes River is weird, or Dad will be grouchy."

"Question fifteen. What is your favourite book?"

"_Twilight_. All the way!"

"Boring!" Rhydian commented, and I leaned across to whack him on the head.

"Question sixteen. Were you good at your old school?"

"Yes. All the teachers hated me though. My mother went there and she was one of the bad kids of her days. Half the teachers feared me, half of them hated me, even when I was good," I sighed. "It's so nice going to a school where your mother can't make everyone hate you."

"Do you resent her?" Maddy asked.

"No. Maybe. A little bit," I admitted. "I mean, she made most of my life at school harder than it needed to be, because she couldn't keep her mouth shut. It's nicer here in Stoneybridge. I can be Isabella Pond, and not 'Amelia Pond's kid'."

"Next question," Rhydian said. "Question seventeen. What was your old house like?"

"Oh, god, where do I begin?" I scoffed in horror. "Uncle Doctor and River snogged and did god knows what else in every room, at all hours of the day. Dad kept yelling at them when he got home. Mum tried to keep everything tidy, but it was messy again in three seconds, if River got near it. I hibernated in my room most of the time." Or the TARDIS, but, of course, I couldn't include that in my speech.

"Wow, that's rough," Rhydian raised an eyebrow. "Even rougher than my family."

His family? Something jogged in my brain. Wasn't I supposed to tell Rhydian something to do with his family? About one of his pack...or something? I shook my head. Most of that day had gone completely blank, between leaving Maddy's garden and waking up with the wilds.

"Question eighteen. Do you wish that you could be a Wolfblood like us?"

"Hell, yeah, why not?" I chuckled. "You lot are so graceful. Unlike me."

"Come on, Bella, you're graceful," Maddy protested kindly. I scoffed.

"Did you see me on the balance beam in Gym the other day? I fell off. Five times. Isn't that a new record or something?"

"Question nineteen," Rhydian continued. "Do you miss your old family and friends?"

"I didn't have any friends," I said, slightly pitying. "No one liked me, because of the teachers. And I was happier alone at school. I hate attention. But, yeah, I miss my family there. My grandparents were only a few streets away, my great-aunt Sharon still lives in the house where my mum grew up, and I slept in her old room every weekend. Yeah. I miss them loads. I can't wait until Christmas, though, because they're coming from Leadworth to see us. You should come and meet them."

"That would be nice," Maddy smiled.

"What, no more questions?" I asked them.

"No, there's one left," Rhydian replied. "Question twenty. Do you think that Stoneybridge is better than your hometown?"

I thought for a moment, before smiling.

"Yes."


	16. Chapter 15: Business trip

Chapter fifteen: Business trip

"Oh, look, the leader of the nerds is home," Melody smirked, as I walked into the house, twirling my truck keys around my finger. "Mum's waiting for you. Something about a trip to America?"

"Oh, yeah," I clapped my hand to my forehead. "Promised I'd help her pack."

"Well, she's in a right state now, thanks to you, stupid. Where the hell have you been, anyway?"

"Out," I replied thickly. "With some mates from school."

"Mates?" Melody laughed. "You don't have mates."

"Oh, shut up, River," I pushed past her, running a hand through my hair.

"You won't be saying that when you're on your own again, Isabella!" she called after me, sniggering. I ignored her, going into Mum's room.

Mum was sitting on the bed, head in her hands, clothes strewn about the room, her suitcase open on the bed.

"Mum!" I said. "What are you doing?"

"Oh, Isabella!" she jumped up. "I was worried about you."

"I was just out," I shrugged. "With some friends. And River was being stupid again. Why aren't you packed for America?"

"I don't know," she groaned, running her hands through her long hair. "I can't do it the way you can."

"Come here then," I picked up a blue shirt, folding it neatly. "The car's going to be here in half an hour."

We packed in silence for another twenty minutes, Mum clearly looking for a conversation starter, me glad of the silence.

"So," Mum said finally. "Those friends of yours seem very nice. Maddy and Rhydian."

"Yeah, they are,"

"Such a lovely couple, don't you think?"

"Sure. They're good together,"

"Were you out with them? Like Maddy said?"

"Yes, Mum," I replied. She was clearly digging for information, now that she'd got us talking.

"Where did you go?"

"They took me to this amazing meadow, up in the woods," I said. "It was beautiful. There was sun, and green grass, and multi coloured flowers, and you could see the whole of Stoneybridge from it."

"Wow," Mum looked impressed. "Where is it?"

"I don't actually know," I admitted. "It's really hard to get to. Maddy found it while she was hiking."

Mum was quiet for a moment, and I wondered if I'd said something n my praises to offend her.

"Mum? What is it?"

"Isabella..." she began, cautious. "Are you happy here?"

"What? What do you mean?"

"Do you like it here? In Stoneybridge?"

"Sure! Of course I do!" I frowned. "Why? What's happened?"

"Nothing's happened yet, honey," Mum sighed. "But, if the modelling agencies think that America is successful, they might offer me a permanent position on their catalogues. This means..."

"We'd have to leave Stoneybridge?" I finished for her. She nodded. "Move to America? Mum, that's great." But my response was flat, and she noticed.

"Isabella, if you don't want to go, we can't make you. You're seventeen, eighteen in a few months. It should be your choice whether you want to go,"

"Mum, why are you even asking me? Of course we should go!" I gave her a hug, trying to muffle my distress. "It's a wonderful opportunity."

"Isabella, it may be a good opportunity, but I can't juts uproot you again. I did that from Leadworth, and that was hard on you. This will be much harder. You've made ties here, more times than you did in Leadworth and River's really settled into her job. Bernie's getting more customers since River started,"

"Hm," I said. I didn't think my sister's service was what brought the customers.

"And, I can't make you leave," Mum zipped up her suitcase, sighing again. "I wish that we never left Leadworth sometimes."

"Mum!" I stared at her. "It was Dad's opportunity! This is what he always wanted. A small town for us to live in, for him to help save lives in small towns! You said so yourself!"

"Maybe I was wrong..." Mum said, either to herself or to me. I couldn't tell.

"Come on, Mum. The car's going to be here soon," I said, and Mum seemed to snap back to her normal mother-persona.

"Yes, yes," she said, carrying her suitcase downstairs. It's the same one she used to take her clothes from Leadworth to here, and it makes my stomach feel sick just looking at it.

Melody and Uncle Doctor were waiting at the bottom of the stairs for us.

"Very nice," Uncle Doctor clapped.

"Knock them dead, Mum," Melody smirked. "Literally."

"Shut up, River," Mum chuckled, kissing all three of us on the forehead.

"The car's here!" Dad yelled from the front door, and Mum gasped.

"Oh, god! I'd better go! Bye honeys! Love you all!"

Both her and Dad vanished outside, over to the sleek black rover in our driveway. Mum blew us all a kiss, as the car pulled away, leaving me, Melody and Uncle Doctor home alone.

"Yes!" my sister cheered. "Two whole weeks of _freedom_!"

"Hardly freedom," I raised my eyebrow, as Uncle Doctor disappeared inside the house. "You still have work, and I still have school."

"Like I'm going to go to work every day without Mum here to nag me into going!" Melody scoffed. "I swear, I need the break! Bernie can do without me for a few days!"

"Mum said that you were doing really well there!"

"I let her see what I want her to see," Melody glared at me. "And let her think what she wants. It doesn't bother me."

"Why, river?" I said suddenly, surprising myself. "Why do you play these stupid games with Mum? Hide stuff from her? Lie to her?"

"Are you stupid, Isabella?" My sister scoffed nastily. "Actually, don't answer that, I know the answer."

"River!" I gasped at her words. "Since when were you so...mean?!"

"It's called growing up, little sister," her gaze softened slightly. "One day, you'll understand. But, for now, I want to enjoy my freedom."

She turned away from me, her voice less harsh than before, clomping towards the front door. And even though her ice-queen persona had melted, my gut told me that Melody's two weeks of freedom were going to spent very differently to how Mum would want...


	17. Chapter 16: Watching eyes

Chapter sixteen: Watching eyes

The rest of that week passed fairly smoothly.

Maddy and Rhydian were their usual selves, mostly laughing at my clumsiness, but then, that was nothing new. Tom and Shannon were mildly hacked off that I had left them for 'Maddian', which made me feel guilty, even though I didn't really have much time to think about it.

It was heading towards the month of May, and soon it would be our year's turn to hold an end-of-year prom. This meant that most of lessons were now about planning and decorating, meaning I had to join in, even though there was no way I was ever going to step foot in prom.

When I did have a chance to relax, which wasn't often, due to the fact that my sister held house parties every night, I wondered what I could do to make Tom and Shannon feel better.

"I just feel so bad," I said to Maddy on Friday, as we walked out of last period together. "I mean, they were the first ones there for me, and now I've dropped them. So, how about we do something nice for them?"

"Well, I suppose," Maddy hummed in thought. "If I can grab them, we can head over to the woods in a little while. There's this old rope swing that we used to play on when we were, like, fourteen or something. That might be fun."

"Cool," I grinned. "A little trip down memory lane."

"Yeah," Maddy smiled.

"I'll drive home and change, while you round them up, and then I'll meet you there?"

"Sure, whatever works, Bella,"

"See ya in a bit," I called, hurrying towards my faded Chevy, which was parked by the school gates.

After a five minute drive home, I raced upstairs to my room, banging on my sister's door as I went. A loud collection of Irish swear words followed down the hall, but I ignored them.

As quickly as I could manage without injuring myself, I changed into my combat jeans and grey hooded top, before running back downstairs.

"I'm going out!" I yelled, as I left.

"SHUT UP!" Melody screamed, as I slammed the front door. Chuckling to myself, I turned, not looking where I was going, almost falling over the little blue car parked in the driveway.

"What the-!" I gasped, jumping back. Rhydian rolled down the window, laughing.

"Get in, Bella!"

My cheeks flamed, as I hurriedly climbed into the back seat.

"You didn't have to run me over," I muttered.

"I know," Rhydian shrugged, still grinning. "It's just way more entertaining!"

"Ha ha, very funny!" I scowled at his humorous tone, as we started off through the country lanes.

"Nice clothes," Maddy raised her eyebrow.

"Are you taking the mick, like _him_, or are you being serious?" I asked.

"_Are you taking the mick like __**HIM**_?" Rhydian mimicked, laughing again, hands rocking the steering wheel, even though the car didn't swerve an inch from the road. I glared at him over the seat.

"Have you finished, Rhydian?" I asked sarcastically.

"For now, yes,"

"Something to look forward to," I muttered.

We drove in silence for the rest of the short journey, pulling up by the gate. Tom's Volkswagen was already there, Tom and Shannon leaning against it.

"Hi, guys," I greeted them, as soon as I got out. "You alright?"

"Fine," Tom looked at Maddy and Rhydian, clearly disturbed by their invitation.

"So..." Shannon tried to break the sudden silence. "Are we swinging or what?"

The awkwardness suddenly vanished between us five, as we climbed over the gate. Rhydian decided to lighten the mood with some impressions of me, often of me falling over. Even though he was taking the piss slightly, I cracked up, along with the others.

"There! Look, there it is!" Maddy ran up a sloping bank suddenly, pointing to the frayed piece of rope hanging from a tree. "I can't believe it's still here!"

"It was only three years ago, Mads," Tom reminded her. "Remember when I fell off?"

"Yeah, that was all the time though," Rhydian told him, grinning. "Hey, why don't we make Bella try it out? Since she's new and everything."

"What?" I looked out him in alarm, hysteria creeping into my voice. Against my will, I was bundled onto the rope, and my foot secured, as I hung on for dear life.

"Three, two, one, GO!" Rhydian shoved at the rope, sending me sailing down the slope, screaming my head off, laughter ringing behind me, Rhydian's the loudest. I looked back at them all, Rhydian lying on the floor from laughing so much. I swayed back towards them, and I squealed in horror, feeling my stomach churn.

"_Bella,"_

I glanced in the direction of my name, the voice not sounding like any of my friends. Despite the horrible swirling feeling that was killing my head, I scanned around the clearing for any signs of life. My eyes fell on a clump of trees, picking out the shape of clothes, shoes, people...

I knew the voice too, I'm sure I did. I shook my head slightly at the clouded haze my memory was.

"_Bella,"_

I gasped, as the two pairs of eyes fixed straight on me.

My name was louder this time, making me lose my footing. I tumbled off of the rope, landing hard on my back. I stared off at the trees, but the signs of the people had gone.

"Bella!" Tom helped me up and I allowed my feet to move. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"Someone..." I pointed, my words making no sense. "Someone was there! Two people, spying on us! I...one of them said my name, and I knew them, but I didn't know them! I...I don't know..."

"Calm down, Bella!" Maddy caught me by the shoulders. "Where did you see them?"

"Behind those trees," I pointed again, calming down slightly. Maddy nodded to Rhydian, and they both went to where I had gestured.

"What are they doing?" Shannon asked, helping me stand.

"I don't know," I replied, truthfully, for once. They appeared, ten seconds later, faces slightly pale.

"Tom?" Maddy tried to keep her voice light, but there was a tone in it that I could not understand. "Could you deliver Bella home, please?"

"Why? What's wrong?"

"We're just going to see who it was," Rhydian shrugged, but his cheery nature had gone. "That's all. But, we don't want Bella freaking out again."

"Sure, we'll take her," Tom put my arm around his shoulder to walk, as we limped away.

"They are so weird," Shannon said, once we were out of earshot.

"I know," I murmured, vowing to ask about all of this later on...


	18. Chapter 17: Rounders game

Chapter seventeen: Rounders game

I groaned, as my phone buzzed from where it was lying on my dresser. I hobbled out of bed, squinting against the sunlight, blinking at the Caller ID. Haltingly, I answered.

"Hello?"

"Hi, Bella!"

"Maddy, why are you phoning in the middle of the night?" I groaned again, rubbing my eyes.

"Bella, it's ten in the morning,"

"Exactly! It's too early!"

"Listen, some of my family are playing rounders later. I thought you might like to come along,"

"Me? Playing rounders? Of my own free will?" I snorted.

"You'd be watching, Bella. Even Wolfbloods wouldn't be able to dodge out of the way from your hits," Rhydian's voice came from the other end of the line. He was clearly listening to me on speaker phone.

"Rhydian, for your information, my hits aren't that bad," I said.

"Really? How many girls in your class have you injured in P.E so far?"

"Never you mind!" I shrieked. If he went through them all, I'd have to remember the awful hours I spent trying to apologise to everyone in my class for my clumsiness. "I'll come if you want. When are you playing?"

"How about now?"

"Now? I'm not even out of bed yet!"

"We'll pick you up in half an hour then," Rhydian said, after muttering something about _'typical girl'_. I scowled.

"Rhydian, stop it!" Maddy scolded, before speaking to me. "See you soon, Bella!" There was a clicking noise as she hung up. I tossed my phone onto my bed, hurriedly rushing downstairs for some form of late breakfast.

After I washed myself, I skimmed through the sparse collection of my wardrobe, picking out a pair of black jeans and a stripy, long sleeved shirt. I found my bright pink beanie hat and pulled that over my untidy hair, before running downstairs, calling hasty goodbyes to my two hung over siblings that slumped in the kitchen, slamming the door behind me. The tiny blue car was already parked on the gravel drive, Rhydian's head poking out of the driver's window.

"Up and ready, Bella?" he teased, as I climbed in with no hesitation.

"Almost," I curled a lose strand of hair behind my ears, noticing that there were two others in the back of the car. They were both girls, a few years older than me. They were both beautiful, one with glossy blonde waves that fell to her waist, and the other with short, straight dark hair that reached her shoulder. They both stared at me oddly, with glittering eyes that were as green as moss.

"Bella," Maddy twisted in the front passenger seat. "These are two of my three cousins from Devon. Their names are Sadie and Victoria. Guys, this is Isabella. Or Bella, as we call her."

"Hello," I nodded shyly.

"Hello," the dark haired girl, Victoria, replied to my words. "Are you the human girl?"

"Vicky..." Maddy said slowly.

"Leave it, Mads," Rhydian soothed her from in front of me. "She's just curious."

"I didn't think Wolfbloods were friend with humans," Victoria said. "Mum said that we could never be on the same level with them."

"That's rubbish!" I protested, loud enough to make her jump. "Humans are great! They're just not ready to experience all of this, the Wolfbloods, the wildbloods..."

Victoria whimpered at the mention of wildbloods.

"Vicky, I told you about Bella," Maddy turned to the blonde, Sadie. "Sadie, didn't I tell her about Bella being captured? Because she was brave enough to venture into their lands?"

"You did indeed," Sadie's voice tinkled like a dainty bell, as we cut down a small path by the woods.

"Are we allowed to drive here?" I asked uncertainly.

"Nope," Rhydian called cheerfully. "Don't worry, we've never been caught."

We stopped suddenly, by a large clearing, where a collection of people were standing around. I stared in awe. The clearing must have been as large as a football pitch, or three. Thick trees surrounded it, hiding us from human eyes, towering towards the sky.

"Disorientating, isn't it?" Maddy grinned, as Victoria slipped her arm through mine, whilst we crossed the field towards the adults.

"Oh, here they are!" Daniel called out, as he spotted us. The few other adults looked at me, sniffing the air in confusion and fascination.

"But...she's human!" I heard one of them whisper.

"Yes," Emma took my hand and led me over to them. "This is Bella Pond. Bella, give them your hand."

I reached over to the first man. He looked like Sadie, with the same silky blonde hair, only cut loose, to his chin. He bent down, kissed my hand and then smelt it.

"Ah," he said. "Clean, human scent. I remember. This was all over town when we arrived." He smiled at me. "You have a very floral scent, sweetheart."

"Umm..." I wasn't sure what to say. "Thank...you?"

"Come now, Jim, don't scare her," Emma took to meet each of the adults, who all did the same as Jim. I learnt all of their names – Alice, Gemma, Sam, Finch, Cooper and Flora – and they all greeted me in return, commenting on my nice smell. I thanked each of them, hoping that it was a compliment in the Wolfblood way.

"Are we playing, or what?" Sadie called, and Victoria whooped in agreement, as the rest of them divided up into teams.

"You're not playing?" Jim turned to Daniel.

"Better referee with Bella and Emma," Daniel stood us to the side of the pitch. "Girls bat first."

"We're gonna kick your butts!" Sadie yelled at Rhydian, who shook his head. Maddy took her place behind Sadie, who clutched the bat in the batter's box. Jim was the bowler, and stepped forward, grinning.

"Is this like normal rounders?" I asked Emma.

"Yes...except..."

"What?"

The ball sailed towards Sadie at unnatural speed, cracking against the weak bat.

"Wolfblood speed," I finished, shaking my head. "Make me feel even clumsier, why don't you?"

Emma chuckled.

For the next half an hour, the play went smoothly. Emma turned to me for any referee discussions, which overwhelmed me with pressure. It was during this, that I saw Rhydian's head snap up in another direction.

"Rhydian?"

"STOP!" his word was strangled against his throat.


	19. Chapter 18: Part of the plan

Chapter eighteen: Part of the plan

Maddy's head snapped up at Rhydian's yell. She sniffed the air, her face turning white.

"Ceri," She snapped.

"Who?" I said.

"Here? Right now?" Daniel interrupted.

"She was leaving, and then she heard me," Rhydian's voice had dropped to a whisper.

"A Wildblood?" Victoria clutched Sadie. "What does she want? The girl?"

"Maybe to talk?" Cooper said from behind me.

"Talk? A Wildblood?"

"She may be open to negotiations," Emma said.

"Negotiations?" I repeated, everyone ignoring me.

"C'mon, Emma," Finch looked at her. "Really? A Wildblood, come to talk to us?"

"She may want to introduce herself. She is Rhydian's mother,"

"Rhydian's _mother_?" I quoted. Still, no one listened. I glared, raising my voice. "What is going ON?!"

Rhydian turned to look at me, suddenly in horror.

"Bella, go," he said.

"What?" I said stupidly, not understanding.

"Bella, I'm so sorry," Maddy took my arm, and tried to lead me back to a large off-roading vehicle that stood near them. "I should never have brought you here. You are in so much danger. Come on, we have to go."

"No!" Daniel caught his daughter by the shoulders. "It's too late. Bella, get your hair down. She may not want to know about you."

We huddled together in a large group, facing the clump of trees ahead of us. Rhydian stood by Maddy, who tucked me behind her, and got Cooper to stand behind me, as extra protection. Alice, Gemma, Emma and Daniel stood forward from the rest of us, acting as spokespeople. I watched, curious, as the bushes parted, and a small, skinny, dark haired woman stepped out. She was dressed normally, in a pale blue shirt, thick black jacket and ragged jeans, her long hair hanging around her slim face and high cheekbones. Her eyes were wide, with the same curiosity in them that I felt.

She stopped, a few metres in front of our little group, eyes scanning us all. Her eyes fell onto Rhydian's face.

"_Helo fy mab_," she said.

"What?" Rhydian frowned, anger falling into his eyes.

"Hello, my son," she translated, looking slightly concerned.

"Ceri," Daniel stepped forward a few millimetres. "We weren't properly introduced a few years ago."

"No, we weren't," Ceri's eyes flickered to him. "You know who I am, and my son, Bryn."

"Bryn?" Rhydian frowned again. Why did that name seem familiar?

"He spoke of your little human...pet," she smirked, not realising that I was there. "Isabella."

"What of her?" Maddy scowled. Ceri gave her a half glance, skipping over me. Luckily, my hat was covering my eyes, shrouding me from view.

"She caused quite a stir in my pack, I can tell you," she chuckled throatily. "Dark haired, human girl that carried the Wolfblood scent of the..._tame_ ones. Especially, when my own son fought his pack to keep her safe."

"Your pack?" Rhydian's eyebrows arched across his face, in a mixture of surprise, guilt and horror.

"Yes, indeed," Ceri nodded back to Daniel and Emma. "And I never got your names, members of this little pack. You are?"

"I'm Daniel," Daniel replied, pointing us out in groups. "This is Emma and Alice, Gemma and Sam, Finch, Sadie and Victoria, Cooper, Flora and Jim, Rhydian, Maddy and Bella."

I was surprised when he said my name. I wasn't sure he counted me as part of his family. Or pack, as it were.

"Ah, the little human is here?" Ceri's large grey eyes finally found me. "Bring her forwards."

"Go on," Maddy took my hand, and pulled me slightly forward, Cooper nudging me in the back. Ceri walked towards me a bit more, slowly, examining me, as I stood, trying not to shake. Despite the fact that Ceri seemed normal, the reactions of the others here scared me. How dangerous was Ceri?

"Well, well, well," Ceri flicked a lock of my hair with her pointed nail. "This is certainly interesting. You and your little pet. Are you keeping her for any particular reason?"

"Excuse me?" Emma started forward, looking cautious.

"She smells simply delicious," Ceri leaned towards my face, her long, pointed teeth showing. "I wonder if you're considering sharing, since my boys didn't get a fair share last time..." she lunged forwards.

Suddenly, I was pushed to the ground by Maddy, who crouched in front of me, growling. Cooper's large hand pinned me to my seat on the ground, covering my entire shoulder. I cringed away, as Rhydian growled loudly, slightly in front of Maddy. Ceri's eyes flashed yellow, large black veins crawling up her face. I gasped in horror.

"Leave. Now," Rhydian snapped. Daniel patted his shoulder.

"Ydych yn perthyn gyda mi. Rydych chi'n fy mab!" Ceri screamed, the Welsh words falling off of her tongue.

"What does that mean?" I asked. No one answered.

"No!" Rhydian yelled. "I do not belong with you!" He seemed to understand the language.

"Byddwch yn talu am y brad! Byddwch i gyd yn talu! Ei!" Ceri pointed a long nail at me, eyes wide. Fear hit me. "Bydd y ferch yn dioddef! Bydd yn talu'r pris oherwydd i chi! Mae'n rhaid i'r ferch dynol yn marw!" She turned on her heel and fled across the field, away from us. Maddy relaxed her posture slightly, still tense.

"Get Bella out of her," Daniel pushed me, Maddy and Rhydian towards the off-roading vehicle. "Go. Drive for hours. Confuse her."

Rhydian grabbed me roughly by the shoulders, steering me as I was dragged by Maddy.

"What's going on?"

"Didn't you get the hint from Ceri?" Rhydian snapped, furious.

"No. It's kind of hard to when she speaks Welsh," Rhydian was silent. "Tell me! Tell me what she said!"

"_She will pay the price because of you!_" Rhydian translated, his voice rough, as he bundled me into the front passenger seat. "_The human girl must die!_"

"She's coming after me?!" I stared at him. "ME?!"

"Yes, Bella, you," Rhydian got into the driver's seat, swerving into the forest.

"What are you doing?"

"I saw her, Maddy. She wants Bella – Bella only – and she doesn't care who he hurts to get her. She loves games, sick twisted ones, and this is the best game she's ever had. A large pack and a weak human. All the strongest members fighting for the weak girl."

"Thanks very much," I muttered.

"So, what do we do?"

"I'm going to drive around this forest, try to confuse her," Rhydian pushed the gas pedal. "It will take hours, but it will confuse her."

"Then what?" I asked, bumping around in my unsafe seat. "Where are we going?"

"Away from Stoneybridge," Rhydian gripped the wheel, almost sweating in the amount of force. "We'll get a plane to America. Or stow away on a ferry to France or something. I don't know!"

"I have to go home!" I protested, wrestling with the seat belt. I gasped, as Jim's hands yanked my fists away. I hadn't seen him get in. "Now! You have to take me home, Rhydian!"

"You can't go home!" he yelled.

"Why NOT?!"

"Your scent's everywhere," Jim said softly. "That's the first place she'll look, once she's combed this forest from top to bottom for you. She's smart; she'll trace your scent."

"But, my sister is there! And my brother-in-law!" my heart thundered at the thought of Ceri anywhere near them. "They're in danger!"

"IT DOES NOT MATTER!" Rhydian roared.

"YES, IT DOES! HOW DARE YOU TELL ME THAT?!" I matched his tone, slapping his arm as hard as I could, probably hurting me more than him. "THEY COULD DIE BECAUSE OF ME!"

"Just...let me get you and Maddy away from here, okay?" Rhydian groaned.

"No! I need to go home now!"

"Bella, I'm not letting you!"

"They're my family! We have to!" I struggled for an argument. "I have a plan to lead Ceri away, but we have to help my family!" The speed of the vehicle didn't stop.

"Please?" I whispered. Rhydian groaned, and the vehicle pulled out onto the main road, slowing down to normal.

"What's the plan?" he asked eventually.


	20. Chapter 19: Exit with dignity

Chapter nineteen: Exit with dignity

"I HATE YOU!" I threw open the front door. Lucky that I was good at Drama.

"Bella!" Maddy said, the perfect amount of innocence in her eyes. She winked suddenly, and I gave a quick nod, as I slammed the front door.

"GET AWAY FROM ME! YOU'RE FREAKS!" I stormed towards the stairs.

"Hey, whoa, whoa, Isabella!" Uncle Doctor leapt up from the sofa.

"Get _her_," Melody smirked. "Where are you going, Isabella?"

They followed me up the stairs.

"I have to get out of here!" I yelled, as I shut my bedroom door. "I'm leaving. I'm going home. NOW."

"Home?" Uncle Doctor hammered on the door, as I blocked it with a chair. "Isabella! Pumpkin, what's going on?"

I threw myself around the room, throwing things into my suitcase in an unruly manner. I suppressed a few sobs, as I found my bathroom necessities bag. I opened the door, pushing past my two confused siblings.

"Did those two weirdoes hurt you?" Melody demanded, all traces of amusement gone.

"No!" I shouted.

"Break it off with you? Tell you to piss off?"

"No, I told THEM to piss off!" I shrieked, shutting myself in my room again.

"What happened to the nerd group?" My sister yelled.

"RIVER!" Uncle Doctor scolded, before calling to me again. "Isabella, I thought you liked them."

"Yeah, I do," I was running out of answers. "That's why I'm leaving. This stops now. I don't want this, okay? I need to go home."

"Home? This IS your home now!" Uncle Doctor frowned.

"No, Leadworth is my home! This...DUMP will never be my home!" I came out, looping my rucksack over my shoulder, as I carried my suitcase to the landing. "I'll stay with some people until Mum comes home and she could cancel the sale on the house."

"The sale's gone through!" Uncle Doctor protested. "And your Mum won't know where you are. She's not due back for two weeks!"

"She'll know. She'll come back. I'll call her from the road, or find a payphone," I descended the stairs, towards the kitchen.

"Isabella Jane Pond, you are not driving back to Leadworth on your own," Uncle Doctor called after me, trying to use parental authority. "You can have today to think about it. If you still want to go tomorrow, I'll take you to your Aunt's in the TARDIS."

"No!" I pulled away from him. "I'm driving. I want time to think. Look, if I get tired and there are no hotels, I'll sleep by the side of the road in the truck, I promise."

"Isabella," my sister's soft voice almost stopped me, as I packed a lunch box of food for the journey. "I know that I haven't been the best sister to you since we've been here. I accept that, but we can change that, can't we, Doctor?"

"Exactly," Uncle Doctor placed a hand on my shoulder. "We'll do more things together. Family things."

I took a deep breath, turning back to them. Words fell from my mouth, coming deep from inside myself, words I didn't know existed.

"Like, WHAT, River? Watch horror films on TV? Go to work with Dad, to hospital? Eat out at Bernie's every night, staff discount? Watch the rain fall, watch life pass me by? Sure, I _so_ want that for the rest of my school days!"

"Isabella!"

"This is what YOU want!" I yelled, trying not to cry. "This isn't ME! None of it! I don't want any of this!"

"Come on, Pumpkin," Uncle Doctor said, as I reached for the door. "We're finally all together as a family. This is everything your father wanted for you."

"Yeah, Doctor, but, do you know what?" I snapped. "If I stay, if I don't leave now, I'm going to be stuck with you for eternity, JUST LIKE MUM!" I shouted the last words. "IT DOESN'T WORK! I HATE IT HERE! I HATE BEING STUCK WITH YOU!"

My words did the trick. He shrunk back, face falling, eyes filling with tears. I had never seen him cry, but I didn't say anything. I slammed the door in his face, throwing my bags into the truck. His face wouldn't leave my thoughts.

"I'll call you both!" I yelled, getting no reply. I started the engine, driving away from the house. I let my tears fall then, sobbing in my chest. Rhydian's soft hand squeezed my free one.

"Let me drive," he swapped places with me, making sure we didn't crash. He took the wheel.

"Did it work?" I asked.

"Yes," he gave me a shaky smile. "God bless the _Twilight_ saga. You could have saved us, Bella. It certainly worked. Ceri heard you leave. She's following us now. Maddy and Jim are in the car behind us, checking for her."

"And you said _Twilight_ sucked and my plan was dumb," I laughed shakily, watching the road ahead of us. We pulled into Maddy's driveway a few moments later, backing into a garage I had never noticed before.

"Did you get away?" Emma asked, opening my door. All of them were there – all of the tame Wolfbloods. I nodded, and she helped me out.

"I'll take you and Maddy south, Bella," Rhydian said. "Get your things."

"No, Rhydian!" I almost yelled. He frowned.

"No?" Jim quoted, and Daniel murmured, in agreement to his confusion.

"Ceri knows that you love Maddy. You'll never leave her. She'll smell you, and follow you. You're her son; she must be able to do that. However, if we go in someone else's car, me and Maddy, she won't be expecting it. Then, you can lead Ceri away from us, in Leadworth. She'll never think to go there, because I've said that I'll be there. She'll think that I'm hiding somewhere else, with you."

"I can see why they like you," Sadie said from behind me. "You are good."

"Give Stephenie Meyer all the credit," I snorted. "It's her book I'm shamelessly ripping off."

"She's right, Rhydian," said Emma, too glad to keep Maddy away from him. "Maddy and Bella can go in one of our cars. We'll take Bella's truck; follow her path to the woods. Ceri will follow us."

"Exactly," I pulled my jumper off, throwing it at Emma. "It'll smell like me. Wear it. Do you have anything that would fit me?"

In the end, I dressed in Emma's short, red shirt and black jeans, keeping my trainers. Maddy pulled on her mother's jumper, whilst Emma dressed in my clothes. It was so odd looking that I almost laughed, despite the terrifying situation we were all in. Daniel led me to one of their cars, packing some of my things into the boot of the sleek black vehicle.

"Is this a _Mercedes_?" I asked in surprise. No one answered, so I took that as a yes. I slipped into the leather driving seat, whilst Maddy and Rhydian hugged, as if they couldn't let each other go. Eventually, Emma dragged Maddy to the car, strapping her in beside me.

"Good luck, dearest Bella," she said, squeezing my hand quickly.

"You ready?" I asked Maddy, who nodded. I pulled forwards, zipping along Maddy's driveway and out into the afternoon light.

"Let's go," Maddy said, as we reached the _'YOU ARE LEAVING STONEYBRIDGE'_ sign.

"Yeah..."


	21. Chapter 20: Phone calls

Chapter twenty: Phone calls

I groaned, rubbing my head, as I woke. I glanced, bleary eyed, around the room, with its beige, patterned walls and blue carpeted floor. It could not belong to anywhere else but a hotel room in Leadworth's only hotel. I sat up, still fully clothed. I tried to think back, through the last few hours. Maddy and I driving practically all night to get to Leadworth. Checking into the hotel, at about three in the morning. Falling asleep as soon as my head hit a pillow. Trying to get my mother on the phone, but getting no reply.

I wondered what I should do about my mother, and reached for my mobile. I dialled her number, getting her chirpy answer phone. I groaned. Of course. Time difference. It must be early afternoon here, and evening there. I waited, until the tone sounded in my ear.

"Hi, Mum," I heard my voice record, although I felt detached from myself. "It's Bella – I mean _Isabella_. I can't get you to pick up, just call me if you get this. I'm not in Stoneybridge anymore, but I'm alright, everything's okay, and I'll explain it later, okay? Oh, can you phone Uncle Doctor and tell him that I'm alright. I can't. It's complicated. I love you. Bye."

I hung up and wandered through to the living area, where Maddy was laying on the sofa, her mother's jumper muffling her face. I took a biscuit from the lunch box I had brought and munched it. It stuck in my throat like glass, but I swallowed it down, curing the ache in my stomach. Maddy stirred under my gaze, and looked over at me.

"Bella? What time is it?" I glanced at the clock above her head.

"About two in the afternoon," I replied.

"I was going to meet Shannon today," he murmured. "We were going to go out. Like the old days. Now, I might never see her again."

"Don't say that," I said firmly. "Has the phone been ringing?"

"No," Maddy sighed. "I would have woken up. No one's called."

"Which means?" I asked, holding my breath.

"It's going well," Maddy ran a hand through her untidy hair. I felt my own, unkempt waves. I rubbed my tired eyes, sitting with Maddy, putting the telly on. The sound was not a necessity, but it filled the space where all the unwanted thoughts were in the room.

The afternoon wore on, as I sat through endless re-runs of _Friends_. Maddy dropped off a few times, as did I. Still, the phone was silent.

When I glanced at the clock, and saw that I hadn't heard from them in twenty-four hours, I turned to wake Maddy. She frowned, as I gabbled.

"Should we ring them?" I asked.

"They'll call if they need us," she replied sleepily. "Calm down, Bella."

"But, I'm so...cooped up!" I whined. "I want to go outside!"

Almost as soon as the words left my mouth, the phone rang.

"I'll get it," Maddy pressed it to her ear. "Hello?" She listened for a few moments, before putting the receiver down.

"What? What's happened?"

"They've nearly cornered her," Maddy replied. "Only a small push and they can get her. She went back to your house a few times."

"Uncle Doctor! River!" I leapt up.

"They're fine. Completely oblivious. She was seeing if you'd gone back there. She thinks, according to Rhydian, that you'll give in and come home to them. You know, let them not worry, and say that you're staying with a friend. As you leave, she plans to ambush you. They now think that she's beginning to realise that you're not going back to the house."

"So, she's looking for me still?"

"Yes, and me," Maddy sighed. "She can see that I'm not with them, and that we must be somewhere together."

"Okay," the conversation died out after that, as we both sat, lost in our own thoughts. I went back to my room, as the sky began to darken, and lay on the bed. I stared across the room, to where a mini piano sat. I went over to it, and tinkled the keys, listening to the soft sound. I started to play a Gallifreyan lullaby Uncle Doctor had taught me, quietly at first, getting louder as I did, lost in the memories of me learning to play the tune, not caring who heard.

"That's really beautiful, Bella," Maddy said from the doorway, now dressed in her pyjamas. "Goodnight."

"Goodnight," I went back to the bed, falling asleep, as I hummed the tune to myself. It was light when I next woke, about six in the morning. I rolled over, sighing. This place was messing with my routines.

Maddy was awake this time, sitting with the telly on. She waved at me, not looking away from the cooking show that was on. Not entirely sure about how learning to make Cheese and spinach lasagne was going to help us, I stared at the wall, picking out patterns with my eyes. When the pattern showed a pair of large golden eyes and wolf claws, I shuddered.

We could have sat like that for year, but the phone rang suddenly, making us jump. Maddy reached across, speaking into it.

"Hello? Rhydian?" she listened, her face white. "Okay. Yes, I'll tell Bella. I love you. Bye, Rhydian."

"What? Tell me what?" I asked.

"Rhydian's lost her," Maddy replied. "She slipped through a line in their attack, making her way away from Stoneybridge."

"Heading where?"

"Towards us," Maddy sighed. "That's why Rhydian and Jim are coming to pick us up, and we're getting a plane to Germany."

"Germany?"

"We'll be away from Ceri. It'll be safe there. Besides, both Rhydian and Jim can speak and understand fluent German," Maddy grinned. "At least we'll be together."

"Excuse me while I puke," I teased, hurrying away before she could whack me.

I packed quickly, jumping as the phone rang again.

"Tell your boyfriend not to keep ringing us!" I yelled, making Maddy laugh. She picked up.

"Hello?" she frowned. "No, I'm Maddy. She's here, hang on." She held the phone out for me. "Your mother, Bella."

I took the phone gladly, speaking into it.

"Mum? I'm glad you got my message. How did you know where to call?"

"Isabella?" Mum gasped. "Isabella! Isabella, where are you?"

"I'm okay, calm down,"

"Isabella!"

"I'll explain, I promise,"

"Listen very carefully to me, Isabella," Ceri's voice took over my mother's. "Is your tame wolf friend in the room with you? Say, yes or no."

"Yes,"

"Walk out of the room. Whilst you're going, say, "No, Mum, don't come." Say it."

"No, Mum, don't come," I tried to keep the tremble from my voice, as I walked into my room, and shut the door.

"Are you alone?"

"Yes,"

"I assume she can still hear you?"

"Yes,"

"Good. Say "Mum, calm down." Say it."

"Mum, calm down,"

"Good, Isabella. Now, where does that leave us? This was almost too easy, despite your idea of hiding away in the one place you said you'd be. Not your fault, really. Stoneybridge High school doesn't protect student privacy that well. It took Bryn next to nothing to hack into your records and find your previous address. I have to say, you have a nice house. Say, "Mum, please don't come." Say it."

"No, Mum, please don't come," I whispered.

"Thank you. Now, where was I? Oh, yes. I was prepared to wait for you and your little tame friend to show yourselves, but, then, of course, Mummy came back to Leadworth, Isabella, after your sister called her, and I couldn't miss the chance to _meet_ her."

"Where's Dad?" I asked.

"Speak when I tell you to, Isabella. I don't think I should describe what will happen if you don't co-operate with me efficiently."

I listened, in silent horror.

"Good girl. As I said, I couldn't miss the chance of meeting her, and, well...she smells almost as tasty as you. And I'm so hungry; after the wild goose chase your pack sent me on...I haven't fed since."

"No-!" My half strangled cry fell from my mouth.

"Remember, Isabella," she growled. I waited. "Good. I'm in an impatient mood. But, I have a deal. If you are willing, I will trade your mother's life for yours. Do you agree? Say yes or no."

"Yes," I said.

"Then, I'll be waiting for you, Isabella. Go to your house. There'll be an address on the door. Go to it. I'll see you very soon, I hope. Say yes or no."

"Yes,"

"Very well. Say, "I'll see you soon. Thank you, Mum." Say it."

"I'll see you soon. Thank you, Mum,"

"Oh, and Isabella, don't bring anyone along with you. Your mother would suffer very badly for that. Can you get away?"

"Yes,"

"Well, then. I look forward to seeing you, Isabella Jane Pond," the line cut off. I ran my fingers through my hair, and hung up, going back into the room where Maddy was.

"My mother's staying in America," I told her. "I'm just going to go and sign us out, okay?"

"Sure," she smiled. It was the last time I would ever see her. The thought brought tears to my eyes.

"I'll be straight back," I lied, ducking out of the room, shutting the door behind me. I started running them, hurtling down the stairs, two at a time, hair flying behind me. I burst into the lobby, weaving my way through the people in the hotel.

"Bye, Maddy," I mumbled, as I raced across the street. "Bye, Rhydian."


	22. Chapter 21: Trap

Chapter twenty-one: Trap

My former home was silent, as I made my way up the gravel path, to the blue front door. A sheet of A4 paper, folded in half, was pinned in the centre of the frame. I pulled it down, unfolded it, and read.

"Isabella," it said...

_I see you have found my little note. If you are reading this, I'm impressed. Go to the Parish Church, about two streets away, where I am waiting for you. Come alone, Isabella. Remember, your life for your mother's._

I fumbled in my pocket for a pen. I found a chewed biro and turned the paper over, penning my own letter.

"Maddy, Rhydian," I wrote...

_Please, don't be angry. But, Ceri has my Mum and I have to do anything to save her life. Please understand. I know that you'll trace my scent back here in a few minutes, but, by then, it'll be too late. Ceri will have finished me off and my mother will be safe. Call my brother and sister, tell them what happened. Trust me; they'll believe you, if you tell them the truth. Take Mum to them. She'll be safer then, because I cannot guarantee what will happen after I am finished with. Tell Tom and Shannon that I'll miss them. They're great mates. Of course, I'll miss both of you two as well. You're the best._

_Call my family. Tell them I love them._

_Forgive me. Remember me._

_Isabella Pond_

_21/3/2013_

I fixed the paper back into place, my note showing. Before I did, I scribbled out Ceri's letter to me, especially the address. I couldn't risk them finding me quicker. Not that they wouldn't find me anyway.

I turned away from the familiar house, running back down the street the way I had come. Birchwood Avenue, where the Parish Church was located, seemed to get longer and longer, as my legs turned to jelly out of fear. I slowed to a walk, as I finally reached the side door of the old building. Late afternoon shadows fell over the walls, casting the interior into darkness. I pushed hard at the side door. It was unlocked, swinging open, to reveal the gloom inside. Haltingly, I took a step through, standing in the back of the church.

It seemed empty, deserted. No one ever came in here anymore – the community centre next door was now the replacement venue for weddings and the church service – and I scanned the room, looking for any signs of my mother, or Ceri.

"Isabella?" I jumped at my mother's voice. "Isabella! Isabella, where are you?"

"Mum!" my legs carried me towards the sound. "It's me! I'm here!"

"Isabella!"

"Mum!" I reached for the curtain where her voice was coming from, pulling it down to reveal the south wall of the church. I froze into place.

A plug-in television was standing on a trolley, showing a video that I had seen before. It was nineteen-ninety-eight, and I had been invited to a child's birthday party. The person whose party it was did not like me much, and made sure I was alone in the corner. Alone and upset, I wandered off, hiding in a shoe cupboard, to wallow in my own self-pity. My mother, on the other hand, had been filming the party, and noticed my absence.

"Isabella? Isabella!" she'd called, as she went around looking for me. "Isabella, where are you?"

Now, I was faced with myself on camera, my mother tousling my hair in relief, telling me to walk out of here with my dignity and pride intact. I'd laughed, and told her I loved her.

"You're the best mum in the whole world," my video form said.

"I know," my mother replied. The screen flickered, and the screen went blue.

I whirled around. I needed to get away from here.

Ceri stood behind me, eyes illuminated in the gloom, blocking my exit.

"Such a sweet child, weren't you, Isabella?" she said, in a patronizing tone. "Hm?"

"Mum..." I tailed away.

"She's safe,"

"I know," I took a deep breath. "Because she's not even here."

My mother had never received my phone messages, never flown home, was never in any danger. She was still asleep on the other side of the world, safe. No one had ever been in any danger. I relaxed slightly.

"You don't seem angry that I lured you here,"

"I'm not," I shrugged, surprised that it was true.

"And you really mean it," she shook her head. "I can see why the tame Wolfbloods chose you as their pet. You are a great muse of fascination."

"Thank you?" I voiced it as a question.

"You were almost _TOO_ easy, Isabella. I can't believe how quickly you got here. So eager for death,"

"I know,"

"And what of my son? And his traitorous girlfriend?"

"I left them a letter," I explained. "Hopefully, they'll take the hint."

"A last letter," she sneered. "How touching. Don't worry; this place is already rigged with cameras. I'm going to edit a little film when I've finished with you. A last letter of my own for your little pack."

She advanced towards me, menacingly, yet friendly at the same time.

"So..." she pondered. "What should I do with you now?"

"I...I..."

Against my better judgement, I tried to run. I raced for the emergency exit. Ceri was in front of me in an instant, pushing my chest with her boot. I flew backwards, hitting my head against a row of stone benches. I heard the crunch as the stone impacted with my skull, but I didn't feel it – I was too numb to feel anything. Ceri walked towards me, a video camera in hand.

"Beautiful," she zoomed in on my face. "Very visually moving, I think. Don't you, Isabella?"

I ignored her, trying to crawl wildly for the other door. She flipped me onto my back and stamped her heel onto my stomach and hip. I heard the sickening crunch before I felt it. I shrieked as I did finally feel the pain.

"Have you reconsidered that move, Isabella?" she nudged my hip with the toe of her hobnail boot. I screamed.

"It's a pity we can't see any blood," her grubby hand lifted me up by my shirt. "Oh, well. I can arrange that."

I was flung through the air once more, crashing into a glass display. I rolled onto the floor, shards of glass ripping at my scalp. The familiar smell of rust and salt made my stomach twist. I felt the blood pouring down my face, seeping into my hairline. Ceri growled, hungry.

Humans were prey to Wildbloods. She couldn't draw this out for any longer.

My eyes closed, as my consciousness disappeared, and I raised my hand to protect my face...


	23. Chapter 22: Saved

Chapter twenty-two: Saved

"Bella!" someone shouted from across the room, as I drifted in and out of the dead world and reality. A deep, vicious growling soon followed, and I forced my eyes to open, focusing on the two dark, blurry shapes that snapped at each other.

I gasped, despite the pain, as the tawny brown wolf sailed through the air, and smashed against the stained glass windows, sliding to the floor, glass slicing at its legs.

"No!" I wailed weakly, afraid. The wolf whined in pain, blood falling freely from the wounds. The shape faded, and Maddy was left in its place, crumpled, broken and bleeding on the stone floor.

Another snarling came from nearby, full of fury and anger.

"Rhydian!" Maddy whimpered, as the grey wolf launched at Ceri, sending them both tumbling to the floor.

"Bella! Maddy!" Daniel's voice appeared from nowhere.

"Maddy!" Emma dashed across the room to her daughter's side. I heard a door bang to the left of me.

"Cooper, Jim," Rhydian said, back in human form. "Go after her."

"Bella?" Daniel addressed me again. "Bella, can you hear me?"

I realised that my eyes were closed. I opened them once again, not seeing anything. "Bella!"

He looked relieved. "Listen, I'm going to lift you now, okay? Stay as still as you can."

At first, the pain was worse. I thrashed in his arms, screaming loudly at the bursts of agony, as we rose from the floor. Eventually, it settled, and I breathed out heavily, wincing at the pain in my chest.

"Let me carry Maddy," I heard Rhydian say.

"I think you've done enough," Emma snapped, furious. "YOU sent them here alone. YOU let Bella run off. YOU let my daughter almost get slaughtered. That's enough for one day, Rhydian!"

"I want _Rhydian_," Maddy said sulkily, like a small infant.

"But, Maddy-!" Emma started to protest.

"Em, leave it alone," Daniel said slowly. "Go on then, Rhydian. Carry her."

I heard a small grunt, as Rhydian lifted Maddy up, balancing her weight. I wondered how he lifted me with no problems at all. The gentle swaying motion of being carried soothed me.

"Bella?" I recognised the voice as Gemma's. "Where is your mother?"

"America," I murmured. "She was never here. Ceri tricked me. She watched all the videos of me and mum and used them to make me believe her. She found out where I lived, she said that-..."

And that was when, despite my experience, my head cleared.

"Rhydian!" I gabbled. "I saw him! Your brother! Bryn!"

"What?"

"That day, when I got captured in the woods! I went into their territory, because I was following him! He told Ceri who I was! He was there with Tom and Shannon, when some people were looking at us! It was him! Him and Ceri! He must have told her that I knew about him! That's why I got drugged! It was all Ceri!"

Rhydian was silent. For once.

"You can't have," he said slowly. "My brother doesn't like humans. He told me himself. If he knew that you were human, he wouldn't have let you talk to him."

"I had your scent on me. Maybe that confused him, and then he realised it was too late," I was shocked at my intelligence. Maybe I needed near-death experiences to keep my grades up?

"You can't have!" Rhydian argued.

"It makes sense," Emma said, her voice still slightly frosty towards Rhydian. "Ceri had to learn about Bella one way or another."

"She said!" I joined in, as I was laid down on a flat surface.

"Jim?" Daniel asked. "Check Bella over."

Jim took my pulse, whilst I burbled on with my eyes closed, the words not making sense.

"She'll have to go to hospital," Jim said finally. That stirred me from my world of nonsense.

"What? No! NO! I am not going to hospital!"

"Bella-..."

"No! I refuse!" I shouted, wrestling and gasping at the pain in my joints. "I will NOT go!"

"Jim?" Daniel asked again. "Give her the morphine."

"No! No needles!" I shrieked, as something sharp stabbed me in the arm. I could feel it trickling into my bloodstream, and I yelled again, this time in something that vaguely represented Gallifreyan. I wasn't sure what I was doing – it was like I had no control over myself anymore.

"Calm down, Bella," Daniel soothed, but I was past words. I screamed and screamed, as the drowsiness took over.

"Bella," Rhydian squeezed my hand as I yelled. "Calm down."

"I don't want to be alone," I whispered.

"I'm here. And so is Maddy," I knew that it was a lie, but I kept quiet, finding my self-control again.

"Stay with me," I said sleepily.

"Of course we will, Bella," Emma said comfortingly. "Just go to sleep."

I did as I was told, closing my eyes, feeling myself drift once more.

"Bella?"

Another question?

"Hmm?" I replied, now wanting to sleep.

"Do you know if any of your family are down here?"

"My grandparents and aunt live here," I said slowly. "I don't know otherwise. Why? Will they be okay?" I tried to sound urgent, but my voice was feeble.

"They're fine, Bella. Don't worry."

So I didn't.

"Sleep now, Bella..." was the last thing I heard.

When I finally started to surface, I was lying on a lumpy mattress, blinding lights from up above me. I kept my eyes closed, as I shifted, uncomfortable. It was as if I had been asleep for a thousand years, living in my own dream world.

"Isabella?" someone was calling me softly. I stirred more vigorously, wanting to open my eyes. "Baby? Can you hear me?"

I opened my eyes, my vision blurring. I stared up, as everything swam into focus. I was lying in a small metal bed, wires and tubes attached to a beeping monitor, showing my heart. I was in a large white gown, my dark red hair greasy and messy around my shoulders. A red haired woman sat in front of me, smiling, as I finally focused in on her features.

"Mum?"


	24. Chapter 23: Heal

Chapter twenty-three: Heal

"Mum?" I whispered my voice full of relief.

"Hey," she smoothed my hair. "Oh, my poor baby. I'm so happy to see your eyes open!"

"What?"

How long had they been closed?

"It's Thursday, Isabella. You've been out for a while,"

"Where are they?" I struggled against my thumping headache and hazy memory. "Where are Maddy and Rhydian?"

"Talking to Emma," Mum glanced towards one of the double doors that led into my room. "I think a row's breaking out."

"Where are the others?" I asked slowly. "Dad? Uncle Doctor? River?"

"Uncle Doctor's in the canteen, getting coffee. And, River's still in Stoneybridge," Mum's face flickered. "She...sends her love, Isabella."

"Really?" I said, disbelievingly. We sat in silence for a few moments.

"What happened?" I asked.

"Well, when you fell you broke your hip, and you lost a lot of blood," Mum stared at me. "You don't remember any of this, do you?"

"Not really," it wasn't a lie as such.

"After you left, Maddy and Rhydian came down with Emma and Daniel, to try and convince you to come home. So, you went up to their hotel room, but you tripped, and you fell down three flights of stairs," Mum shook her head. "Went through the first floor window, you did!"

"Huh," I mumbled. "That sounds like me."

"Oh, honey, I'm so sorry," Mum clasped my limp hand. "I wasn't there. You needed me, and I left you..."

"Mum, calm down," I soothed. "I'm okay now."

She seemed to calm considerably, as her phone vibrated in her pocket. She pulled it out.

"It's your Dad," she said, thumbs hitting the keys. "He's so worried about you. I told him to stay down in Florida."

"Why?" I asked, before getting it. "You got a permanent place?"

"I know! Oh, honey, just as I was about to leave, I heard! Oh, Isabella, you'll love Jacksonville! It's sunny almost every day! I've looked around and I found the most amazing house I could find, like out of a fairytale, and you'll have your own bathroom, and-."

"Mum, but...we live in Stoneybridge," I blurted out.

"We won't have to anymore!" Mum noticed my face. "Isabella-."

"Mum, I still want to live in Stoneybridge," I gabbled.

"What?" her face creased.

"I want to stay in Stoneybridge," I repeated, clearer this time.

"Okay, well...we'll talk about it later," Mum reasoned, and I nodded in agreement, wincing at the stiffness of my neck.

"Can you get Uncle Doctor for me?" I asked. "I have to talk to him. Apologise. I said some stuff...some horrible stuff."

"Okay, baby, I'll go get him," she kissed my forehead. "And I'll get the nurse, okay? Tell them that you're finally awake."

"Okay," I mumbled, as she disappeared through the double doors. I could now hear the argument, clear as day.

"Mam, you can't do that!" Maddy yelled, as if she'd been crying.

"Maddy, stop it. I can and I have,"

"Why?"

"He's a danger to us all! He almost got you killed!"

"I don't care! We can't be apart!"

"Why?"

There was a silence.

"We...just can't," Maddy tailed away. I frowned. Didn't Emma know that Maddy and Rhydian were soul mates? Maybe not.

"I'm going to see Bella," Rhydian mumbled, getting as far away from the fighting alpha females as he could get.

He entered my room, noticing my eyes watching him.

"Bella!"

"Hello," I waved, regretting it. "Ouch!"

"Not dead then?" he raised an eyebrow.

"What happened?" I asked. "Really? And don't say I fell through a window. Was that the best you could come up with?"

"At short notice, yes," Rhydian sat beside me. "Besides, you had chunks of glass in your forehead."

"There's a flaw with that," I said. "There's no broken window and no security footage that shows me falling out of the window."

"You fell out of the window that was under the broken camera," Rhydian grinned slightly. "I had too much fun fabricating the evidence. God, you could sue the hotel if you wanted."

"I'll let them off with a warning this time," I replied. "What's going on with Maddy and Emma?"

His face dropped. "Emma wants to stop me seeing Maddy."

"But...I thought...soul mates...and all that Riolasit stuff!" I protested.

"Emma doesn't know. We decided not to tell her," Rhydian looked shifty. "I value my life. And Maddy's. I think Emma would have locked me in the cellar if she found out."

"Ouch," I screwed up my face, as the door flew open, and Maddy hobbled in, leaning on her crutches.

"Bella!" her face lit up, but the smile did not reach her eyes. "You're awake!"

"Still here," I teased. "You can't get rid of me. And you haven't answered my question." I turned to Rhydian. "What happened? Where's Ceri?"

"She ran off," Rhydian replied quietly. "We tried to look for her, but she got away. She's not going to take this lightly, Bella."

"I'm alive...because of you guys," I said slowly. "Thank you. I haven't said it yet. For saving me, I mean."

"It was your own fault, Bella," Rhydian said heavily. "What the hell were you thinking, running off like that?"

"Right, because you wouldn't have done the same if it was Maddy, or someone else that you cared about?" I challenged. Rhydian was silent, and I smiled, smugly.

I looked up, as the door opened, and Uncle Doctor looked around it.

"Uncle Doctor!" I held out my arms to him, like a child. Rhydian and Maddy vanished from the room, giving us privacy. Uncle Doctor wrapped me up in his arms, and rocked me as I cried.

"I'm so sorry," I sniffled. "About it all. I never meant any of those things, I was just scared! And I ran away, and I felt so guilty, and then I fall over and do this!"

"Shh..." he stroked my hair. "Pumpkin, it doesn't matter."

"Yes, it does," I said. "I'm so sorry. I love having you around. I don't mind being stuck with you."

"And I don't mind being stuck with you either, little one," he poked my nose. "And, I understand why you said those things. Are you going to come home with us?"

"Wherever _home_ is," I sighed.

"I doubt your mother will drag you kicking and screaming to America. Besides, your father won't want to go, and she'll hardly go by herself. We'll stay here,"

"And if they do go?"

"Me and River will stay with you," Uncle Doctor squeezed my hand. "Just don't run off every five minutes. I worried like crazy about you."

"I worried about you too," I hugged him again. "Can we really stay in Stoneybridge?"

"Of course we can, Isabella,"

"Yay!" I shrieked, and then lay back at the pain in my ribcage.

"I'll get the nurse to get you more medication,"

"I won't take it," I warned.

"It's not something you'll be required to take, Pumpkin. Close your eyes, and sleep,"

I shut my eyes, as a nurse came in. I could feel the injection, and the sleepiness, seep into my bloodstream.

"Uncle Doctor?"

"Yes?"

"Do you know anything about Wolfbloods?"

"About _what_?"

"Nothing. Never mind," I mumbled, as I drifted away again, into darkness.


	25. Epilogue: Prom

Epilogue: Prom

"I can't believe I'm letting you do this, Mads," I grumbled, as Maddy pinned a flower into my hair, tucking a strand behind my ear.

"Bella, you promised that you'd help me and Rhydian go to prom together. Remember?" Maddy reminded, twirling in her silk white-and-blue dress. A bulky waking cast covered her left foot. I was almost healed, despite my injuries. The only thing that was really left of my attack was a small, claw shaped scar on my thumb, where Ceri had grabbed me. Other than that, I was fine, and counted myself as healthy.

"I only said I'd help you go, because I wasn't going myself!" I protested. In what universe would I ever go to prom of my own accord?

"Come on, Bella," Maddy pulled me in front of the mirror. "See? You look great." I gazed at my reflection, eyebrow raised. My hair was pinned up, in elaborate-ly styled curls that reached my shoulders. I was in a sleeveless purple dress, with ruffles covering the skirt, stripy black and white leggings and purple converses. I thought I looked horrific. Anything to do with prom made me shudder.

"We're going to be late," Maddy said from behind me, quickly dabbing glitter onto my cheeks. I swerved away, sighing.

"Let's get this over with," I helped her to the top of the landing, where Emma and Daniel were waiting, Daniel filming our decent down the stairs. I sighed again, getting my white cardigan from the banister.

"You look wonderful, girls," Emma smiled.

"Very," Daniel said in agreement, as I tried to avoid getting on film.

"Is Rhydian going to be there?" Emma asked Maddy. "Because you know what I said."

"Yes, Mam, I know," Maddy rolled her eyes. "And, I don't think Rhydian is going. If he is, he's going with Tom and Shannon. We'll avoid him. Besides, I'll spend most of the time trying to get Bella through the door!"

"_Hey_!" I protested. "I'll run away before you can get me inside!"

Emma seemed satisfied with our general banter, and the smile returned to her face.

"You girls have a good time," she showed us to the door, and we escaped to the safety of my Chevy truck. I helped Maddy into the passenger seat, before hopping into the driving cab and pulling away from the house.

"I can't believe I'm going through with this," I said again. "Huh! _Prom_!"

"Calm down, Bella," Maddy smiled. "You only have to dance around to music."

"God, don't get me started on _dancing_!" I shuddered, as we rattled towards the school. Stoneybridge High school's gym seemed the biggest place to hold the junior prom.

"I feel bad about lying to my Mam," Maddy sighed suddenly. "But, it has to be done, right?"

"How about we just ditch prom?" I asked hopefully.

"All dressed up like this, and nowhere else to go?" Maddy teased. "Nice try, Bella."

"Dang,"

"You don't get out of it that easy," Maddy looked forwards, as we pulled into the school car park.

"Bella! Maddy! Glad you made it!" Tom was the first one who greeted us, as we parked in a space, and I got out. "Shannon and I have been waiting for you."

"I had to drag Bella from the house," Maddy grinned, as Shannon helped her down. "Whoa! Nice dress, Shannon!"

Shannon blushed as red as her dress, smiling.

"Cool," I agreed.

"Nice hair, Bella,"

"God, don't remind me!" I shook my head.

"No ruining my masterpiece, Isabella!" Maddy scolded, grinning again.

"Oh, Bella, how could you?" Rhydian's voice came from behind us. I shrieked, but Maddy cheered. Rhydian in a suit was hilarious. I burst out laughing when I saw him.

"What?" he asked. "Just because I looked devilishly handsome in a suit?"

"You? Handsome?" I sniggered. "Get real."

The five of us walked towards the gym, exchanging more comments on appearances and dancing, and how to dance a waltz, which was what everyone did at the end of prom.

"Waltz?" I looked horrified.

"It's only moving your feet, Bella," Rhydian smirked, getting his own back for the suit comments I made. "Even with your lack of balance, you should be able to do that. Then again..."

I whacked his arm, as we walked into the school gym, where prom was already crowded.

"Wow, you _are_ trying to kill me!" I said, glancing around the room. It had been completely made-over. White streamers hung from the ceiling, along with a fake chandelier and a disco ball, which cast twinkling lights over the papered walls, which were covered in white sugar paper, covering the normal scratched paint that I usually saw.

I could name several of the faces there, as we circled the room, Tom and Shannon gone off to set up for their DJ set piece. I saw Marrianne, from Geography, and her friends as the band, doing a slightly warped version of _Hound Dog_, by Elvis Presley, adding _Spider Man_ and _The Big Bang Theory_ references throughout. No one seemed to mind though.

"Want to dance?" Rhydian took Maddy's hand and led her off to a space, whilst I got myself a cup of lemonade and sipped it quietly in the corner, watching people twirl past me, as Marrianne started singing _Losing Steak_, by Eels. It was safest that I was on the sidelines.

The gym was stuffy, so I stepped outside, letting the cool night air wash over me, as I wandered to a bench and sat on it, leaning my head back, and watching the stars. They twinkled like the lights inside the gym. I wondered about Ceri, and how long it would be until she came for me again. According to Rhydian, Ceri wasn't a loser. She persisted, until she got what she wanted. And she wanted Rhydian back, and she wouldn't care who she hurt to get him. Including me.

"Bella!" Maddy called, gesturing to me. "Come dance! It's a group dance!"

"If you don't, I'll drag you!" Rhydian threatened, and the grin on his face showed that he meant it.

I sighed, rolling my eyes, chucking my cup into the bin, as I raced back to the prom...

_**TO BE CONTINUED...**_


	26. Sequel newsAuthor note

Author's note

Hi guys!

Okay, there is going to be a sequel to _Fascination_ posted as soon as I can! It's called _Temptation_, and its set a few months after the Stoneybridge junior prom. It focuses more on Bella and her relationship with her family and her past, and something very life-changing crops up for her...you'll have to read to find out what it is!

Thanks to everyone who reviewed. I owe you one. I hope you'll continue to read the sequel to this!

**Lolsome-o-sis girl**


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